Ir- 


THE  WORK  OF 
THE  HOLY  SPIRIT 


BY 

ABRAHAM    KUYPER,  D.D.,  LL.D. 

Professor  of  Systematic  Theology  in  the 
University  of    Amsterdam. 


TRANSLATED   FROM   THE    DUTCH   WITH    EXPLANATORY   NOTES 
BY 

Reverend  HENRI   DE   VRIES 


with   an    INTRODUCTION 
BY 

Professor  BENJAMIN    B.   WARFIELD,  D.D.,  LL.D. 

OF   PRINCETON   THEOLOGICAL   SEMINARY 


FUNK   &   WAGNALLS   COMPANY 
NEW  YORK   AND   LONDON 


Copyright,  1900 

BY 

FUNK  &   WAGNALLS  COMPANY 


[Registered  at  Stationers'  Hall,  London.} 


Printed  in  the  United  States  0/  A  tnerica. 


7—23 


CONTENTS. 


PAGE 

Preface, ix 

Explanatory  Notes  to  the  American  Edition,        .        .        .        .     xv 

Partial  List  of  the  Works  of  Dr.  Kuyper, xix 

Introduction  by  Prof,  Benjamin  B.  Warkield,  D.D.,  LL.D.,         .  xxv 


VOLUME  I. 

FIRST   CHAPTER. 

Introduction. 

I.  Careful  Treatment  Required, 3 

II.  Two  Standpoints, 8 

III.  The  Indwelling  and  Outgoing  Works  of  God 13 

IV.  The  Work  of  the  Holy  Spirit  Distinguished 18 

SECOND   CHAPTER. 

The  Creation. 

V.  The  Principle  of  Life  in  the  Creature, 22 

VI.  The  Host  of  Heaven  and  of  Earth 27 

VII.  The  Creaturely  Man 32 

VIII.  Gifts  and  Talents 38 

THIRD  CHAPTER. 

Re-Creation. 

IX.  Creation  and  Re-Creation,    ........     43 

X.  Organic  and  Individual, 48 

XI.  The  Church  Before  and  After  Christ 52 

FOURTH   CHAPTER. 
The  Holy  Scripture  of  the  Old  Testament. 

XII.  The  Holy  Scripture 56 

XIII.  The  Scripture  a  Necessity, 6c 


IV 


CONTENTS 


XIV.  The  Revelation  to  Which  the  Scripture  of  the  Old  Testa- 
ment Owes  Its  Existence 65 

XV.  The  Revelation  of  the  Old  Testament  in  Writing,          .        .  70 

XVI.  Inspiration, 74 

FIFTH   CHAPTER. 

The  Incarnation  ok  the  Word. 

XVII.  Like  One  of  Us 79 

XVIII.  Guiltless  and  Without  Sin 84 

XIX.  The  Holy  Spirit  in  the  Mystery  of  the  Incarnation,        .        .  88 

SIXTH   CHAPTER. 

The  Mediator. 

XX.  The  Holy  Spirit  in  the  Mediator, 93 

XXI.  Not  Like  unto  Us, 97 

XXII.  The  Holy  Spirit  in  the  Passion  of  Christ,         .        .        .        .102 

XXIII.  The  Holy  Spirit  in  the  Glorified  Christ 107 


SEVENTH   CHAPTER. 

The  Outpouring  of  the  Holy  Spirit. 

XXIV.  The  Outpouring  of  the  Holy  Spirit 112 

XXV.  The  Holy  Spirit  in  the  New  Testament  Other  than  in  the 

Old 117 

XXVI.  Israel  and  the  Nations 123 

XXVII.  The  Signs  of  Pentecost, 128 

XXVIII.  The  Miracle  of  Tongues I33 

EIGHTH   CHAPTER. 
The  Apostolate. 


XXIX.  The  Apostolate, 
XXX.  The  Apostolic  Scriptures 
XXXI.  Apostolic  Inspiration, 
XXXIL  Apostles  To-Uay?    . 


139 
146 
152 

158 


NINTH   CHAPTER. 
The  Holy  Scriptures  in  the  New  Testament. 

XXXIII.  The  Holy  Scriptures  in  the  New  Testament, 

XXXIV.  The  Need  of  the  Xew-Testament  Scripture, 
XXXV.  The  Character  of  the  New-Testament  Scripture,  . 


.  164 
.  169 
.   174 


CONTENTS  f 

TENTH   CHAPTER. 
The  Church  of  Christ. 

PAGE 

XXXVI.  The  Church  of  Christ, I79 

XXXVII.  Spiritual  Gifts 184 

XXXVIII.  The  Ministry  of  the  Word, 190 

XXXIX.  The  Government  of  the  Church, 196 


VOLUME   II. 


FIRST   CHAPTER. 

Introduction. 

I.  The  Man  to  be  Wrought  upon, 
II.  The  Work  of  Grace  a  Unit,  . 

III.  Analysis  Necessary, 

IV.  Image  and  Likeness, 
V.  Original  Righteousness, 

VI.  Rome,  Socinus,  Arminius,  Calvin 
VII.  The  Neo-Kohlbruggians, 
VIII.  After  the  Scriptures, 
IX.  The  Image  of  God  in  Man,   . 
X.  Adam  Not  Innocent,  but  Holy, 


203 

208 
213 
218 
222 
227 
232 
23S 
242 
247 


SECOND  CHAPTER. 

The  Sinner  to  be  Wrought  upon. 


XI.  Sin  Not  Material,    . 
XII.  Sin  Not  a  Mere  Negation, 

XIII.  Sin  a  Power  in  Reversed  Action, 

XIV.  Our  Guilt 

XV.  Our  Unrighteousness,    . 

XVI.  Our  Death 


252 

258 
263 
268 

273 
278 


THIRD   CHAPTER. 

Preparatory  Grace. 

XVII.  What  It  Is 283 

XVIII.  What  It  Is  Not 288 


vi  CONTENTS 

FOURTH   CHAPTER. 
Regeneration. 

PAGE 

XIX.  Old  and  New  Terminology, 293 

XX.  Its  Course 299 

XXI.   Regeneration  the  Work  of  God, 304 

XXII.  The  Work  of  Regeneration,  .......  310 

XXIII.  Regeneration  and  Faith 3i5 

XXIV.  Implanting  in  Christ 322 

XXV.  Not  a  Divine-Human  Nature, 327 

XXVI.  The  Mystical  Union  with  Immanuel, 333 

FIFTH   CHAPTER. 

Calling  and  Repentance. 

XXVII.  The  Calling  of  the  Regenerate 333 

XXVIII.  The  Coming  of  the  Called, 343 

XXIX.  Conversion  of  All  that  Come 349 

SIXTH   CHAPTER. 

Justification. 

XXX.  Justification 354 

XXXI.  Our  Status, 361 

XXXII.  Justification  from  Eternity 367 

XXXIII.  Certainty  of  Our  Justification 372 

SEVENTH   CHAPTER. 
Faith. 

XXXIV.  Faith  in  General 378 

XXXV.  Faith  and  Knowledge 384 

XXXVI.  Brakel  and  Comrie 39° 

XXXVII.  Faith  in  the  Sacred  Scriptures 397 

XXXVIII.  The  Faculty  of  Faith 402 

XXXIX.  Defective  Learning 407 

XL.  Faith  in  the  Saved  Sinner  Alone, 4^5 

XLI.  Testimonies,    ....  ....  420 


CONTENTS  ▼»» 

VOLUME   III. 

FIRST    CHAPTER. 

Sanctification. 

I.  Sanctification, •        •        •        *  ^^^ 

II,  Sanctification  a  Mystery 435 

III.  Sanctification  and  Justification 440 

IV.  Sanctification  and  Justification  (Continued),          .        .        -444 
V.  Holy  Raiment  of  One's  Own  Weaving 448 

VI.  Christ  Our  Sanctification, 452 

VII.  Application  of  Sanctification, 45 

VIII.  Sanctification  in  Fellowship  with  Immanuel,  .        .        .460 

IX.  Implanted  Dispositions, 4  4 

X.  Perfect  in  Parts,  Imperfect  in  Degrees, 468 

XI.  The  Pietist  and  the  Perfectionist 474 

XII.  The  Old  Man  and  the  New, 48o 

XIII.  The  Work  of  God  in  Our  Work 485 

XIV.  The  Person  Sanctified, 49° 

XV,  Good  Works "^^ 

XVI.  Self-Denial 5°^ 

SECOND     CHAPTER. 
Love. 

XVII.  Natural  Love 5o8 

XVIII.  Love  in  the  Triune  Being  of  God 5^3 

XIX.  The  Manifestation  of  Holy  Love, 5^7 

XX.  God  the  Holy  Spirit  the  Love  which  Dwells  in  the  Heart,    .  522 

XXI.  The  Love  of  the  Holy  Spirit  in  Us S27 

XXII.  Love  and  the  Comforter, 532 

XXIII.  The  Greatest  of  These  Is  Love, S38 

XXIV.  Love  in  the  Blessed  Ones 543 

XXV,  The  Communion  of  Saints, 548 

XXVI.  The  Communion  of  Goods 554 

XXVII.  The  Communion  of  Gifts S^o 

XXVIII.  The  Suffering  of  Love,      . 565 

XXIX.  Love  in  the  Old  Covenant, 570 

XXX.  Organically  One 575 

XXXI.  The  Hardening  Operation  of  Love 58o 

XXXII.  The  Love  which  Withers,  .  584 


viii  CONTENTS 

PAGE 

XXXIII.  The  Hardening  in  the  Sacred  Scripture,       .        .        .        .589 

XXXIV.  Temporary  Hardening, 594 

XXXV.  The  Hardening  of  Nations, 598 

XXXVI.  The  Apostolic  Love 603 

XXXVII.  The  Sin  Against  the  Holy  Ghost 608 

XXXVIII.  Christ  or  Satan 613 

THIRD   CHAPTEIL 
Prayer. 

XXXIX.  The  Essence  of  Prayer, 618 

XL.  Prayer  and  the  Consciousness 623 

XLI.   Prayer  in  the  Unconverted, 629 

XLII.  The  Prayer  of  the  Regenerated, 636 

XLIII.  Prayer  for  and  with  Each  Other, 643 


PREFACE  OF  THE  AUTHOR. 


Special  treatises  on  the  Person  of  the  Holy  Spirit  are  compara- 
tively few,  and  systematic  treatment  of  His  IVorA  is  still  more  un- 
common. In  dogmatics,  it  is  true,  this  subject  is  introduced,  devel- 
oped, and  explained,  but  special  treatment  is  exceptional. 

As  much  as  there  is  written  on  Christ,  so  little  is  there  written 
on  the  Holy  Spirit.  The  work  of  John  Owen  on  this  subject  is 
most  widely  known  and  still  unsurpassed.  In  fact,  John  Owen 
wrote  three  works  on  the  Holy  Spirit,  published  in  1674,  1682,  and 
1693.  He  was  naturally  a  prolific  writer  and  theologian.  Born 
in  1616,  he  died  at  the  good  old  age  of  seventy-five  years,  in  1691. 
From  1642,  when  he  published  his  first  book,  he  continued  writing 
books  until  his  death. 

In  1826  Richard  Baynes  reissued  the  works  of  John  Owen,  D.D., 
edited  by  Thomas  Russell,  A.M.,  with  memoirs  of  his  life  and  wri- 
tings (twenty-one  volumes).  This  edition  is  still  in  the  market, 
and  offers  a  treasury  of  sound  and  thorough  theology. 

Besides  Owen's  works  I  mention  the  following: 

David  Rungius,  "  Proof  of  the  Eternity  and  Eternal  Godhead  of 
the  Holy  Spirit,"  Wittenberg,  1599. 

Seb.  Nieman,  "  On  the  Holy  Spirit."  Jena,  1655. 

Joannes  Ernest  Gerhard,  "  On  the  Person  of  the  Holy  Spirit," 
Jena,  1660. 

Theod.  Hackspann,  "  Dissertation  on  the  Holy  Spirit,"  Jena,  1655. 

J.  G.  Dorsche,  "  On  the  Person  of  the  Holy  Spirit,"  Konings- 
berg,  1690. 

Fr.  Deutsch,  "  On  the  Personality  of  the  Holy  Spirit,"  Leipsic, 
1711. 

Gottfr.  Olearius  (John  F.  Burgius),  "  On  the  Adoration  and  Wor- 
ship of  the  Holy  Spirit,"  Jena,  1727. 

J.  F.  Buddeuss,  "  On  the  Godhead  of  the  Holy  Spirit,"  Jena,  1727. 


X  PREFACE   OF  THE   AUTHOR 

J.  C.  Pfeiffer,  "  On  the  Godhead  of  the  Holy  Spirit,"  Jena,  1740. 

G.  F.  Gude,  "  On  the  Martyrs  as  Witnesses  for  the  Godhead  ot 
the  Holy  Spirit,"  Leipsic,  1741. 

J.  C.  Danhauer,  "  On  the  Procession  of  the  Holy  Spirit  from  the 
Father  and  the  Son,"  Strasburg,  1663.  J.  Senstius,  Rostock,  1718, 
and  J.  A.  Butstett,  Wolfenbiittel,  1749.  John  Schmid,  John  Meisner, 
P.  Havercom,  G.  Wegner,  and  C.  M.  Pfaff. 

The  Work  of  the  Holy  Spirit  has  been  discussed  separately  by 
the  following:  Anton,  "  The  Holy  Spirit  Indispensable."  Carsov, 
"On  the  Holy  Spirit  in  Conviction."  Wensdorf,  "On  the  Holy 
Spirit  as  a  Teacher."  Boerner,  "  The  Anointing  of  the  Holy  Spirit." 
Neuman,  "  The  Anointing  which  Teaches  All  Things."  Fries,  "  The 
Office  of  the  Holy  Spirit  in  General."  Weiss,  "The  Holy  Spirit 
Bringing  into  Remembrance."  Foertsch,  "  On  the  Holy  Spirit's 
Leading  of  the  Children  of  God."  Hoepfner,  "  On  the  Intercession 
of  the  Holy  Spirit."  Beltheim,  Arnold,  Gunther,  Wendler,  and 
Dummerick,  "  On  the  Groaning  of  the  Holy  Spirit."  Meen,  "  On 
the  Adoration  of  the  Holy  Spirit."  Henning  and  Crusius,  "  On  the 
Earnest  of  the  Holy  Spirit." 

The  following  Dutch  theologians  have  written  on  the  same 
subject:  Gysbrecht  Voetius  in  his"  Select-Disput.,"  L,  p.  466.  Sam. 
Maresius,  "  Theological  Treatise  on  the  Personality  and  Godhead 
of  the  Holy  Spirit,"  in  his  "  Sylloge-Disput.,"  I.,  p.  364.  Jac.  Fruy- 
tier,  "  The  Ancient  Doctrine  Concerning  God  the  Holy  Spirit,  True, 
Proven,  and  Divine";  exposition  of  John  xv.  26,  27.  Camp.  Vi- 
tringa,  Jr.,  "  Duae  Disputationes  Academicae  de  Notione  Spiritus 
Sancti,"  in  his  Opuscula. 

Works  on  the  same  subject  during  the  present  century  can 
scarcely  be  compared  with  the  studies  of  John  Owen.  We  notice 
the  following:  Herder,  "  Vom  Paraclet."  Kachel,  "  Von  der  Laster- 
ung  wider  den  Heiligen  Geist,"  Niimberg,  1875.  E.  Guers,  "  Le 
Saint-Esprit,  Etude  doctrinale  et  pratique  sur  Sa  Personne  et  Son 
CEuvre,"  Toulouse,  1865.  A.  J.  Gordon,  "  Dispensation  of  the 
Spirit." 

This  meager  bibliography  shows  what  scant  systematic  treatment 
is  accorded  to  the  Person  of  the  Holy  Spirit.  Studies  of  the  JVork 
of  the  Holy  Spirit  are  still  more  scanty.  It  is  true  there  are  several 
dissertations  on  separate  parts  of  this  Work,  but  it  has  never  been 
treated  in  its  organic  unity.  Not  even  by  Guers,  who  acknowledges 
that  his  little  book  is  not  entitled  to  a  place  among  dogmatics. 


PREFACE   OF   THE   AUTHOR  xi 

In  fact,  Owen  is  still  unsurpassed,  and  is  therefore  much  sought 
after  by  good  theologians,  both  lay  and  clerical.  And  yet  Owen's 
masterpiece  does  not  seem  to  make  a  closer  study  of  this  subject  su- 
perfluous. Altho  invincible  as  a  champion  against  the  Arminians 
and  Semi-Arminians  of  the  latter  part  of  the  seventeenth  century. 
his  armor  is  too  light  to  meet  the  doctrinal  errors  of  the  present  time. 
For  this  reason  the  author  has  undertaken  to  offer  the  thinking  Chris- 
tian public  an  exposition  of  the  second  part  of  this  great  subject,  in 
a  form  adapted  to  the  claims  of  the  age  and  the  errors  of  the  day. 
He  has  not  treated  the  first  part,  the  Person  of  the  Holy  Spirit. 
This  is  not  a  subject  for  controversy.  The  Godhead  of  the  Holy 
Spirit  is  indeed  being  confessed  or  denied,  but  the  principles  of  which 
confession  or  denial  is  the  necessary  result  are  so  divergent  that  a 
discussion  between  confessor  and  denier  is  impossible.  If  they 
ever  enter  the  arena  they  should  cross  lances  on  the  point  of  first 
principles,  and  discuss  the  Source  of  Truth.  And  when  this  is  set- 
tled they  might  come  to  discuss  a  special  subject  like  that  of  the 
Holy  Spirit.  But  until  then  such  a  discussion  with  them  that  deny 
the  Revelation  would  almost  be  sacrilegious. 

But  with  the  IVork  of  the  Holy  Spirit  it  is  different.  For  altho 
professing  Christians  acknowledge  this  Work,  and  all  that  it  includes, 
and  all  that  flows  from  it,  yet  the  various  groups  into  which  they 
divide  represent  it  in  very  divergent  ways.  What  differences  on  this 
point  between  Calvinists  and  Ethicals.  Reformed.  Kohlbruggians. 
and  Perfectionists !  The  representations  of  the  practical  Supernatu- 
ralists,  Mystics,  and  Antinomians  can  scarcely  be  recognized. 

It  seemed  to  me  impracticable  and  confusing  to  attack  these 
deviating  opinions  on  subordinate  points.  These  differences  should 
never  be  discussed  but  systematically.  He  that  has  not  first  staked 
off  the  entire  domain  in  which  the  Holy  Spirit  works  can  not  suc- 
cessfully measure  any  part  of  it,  to  the  winning  of  a  brother  and  to 
the  glory  of  God. 

Hence  leaving  out  polemics  almost  entirely.  I  have  made  an 
effort  to  represent  the  Work  of  the  Holy  Spirit  in  its  organic  rela- 
tions, so  that  the  reader  may  be  enabled  to  survey  the  entire  do- 
main. And  in  surveying,  who  is  not  surprised  at  the  ever-increas- 
ing dimensions  of  the  Work  of  the  Holy  Spirit  in  all  the  things  that 
pertain  to  God  and  man? 

Even  tho  we  honor  the  Father  and  believe  on  the  Son,  how  little 
do  we  live  in  the  Holy  Spirit !    It  even  seems  to  us  sometimes  that 


xii  PREFACE   OF   THE    AUTHOR 

for  our  sanctification  only,  the  Holy  Spirit  is  added  accidentally  to 
the  great  redemptive  work. 

This  is  the  reason  why  our  thoughts  are  so  little  occupied  with 
the  Holy  Spirit;  why  in  the  ministry  of  the  Word  He  is  so  little 
honored ;  why  the  people  of  God,  when  bowed  in  supplication  before 
the  Throne  of  Grace,  make  Him  so  little  the  object  of  their  adora- 
tion. You  feel  involuntarily  that  of  our  piety,  which  is  already 
small  enough,  He  receives  a  too  scanty  portion. 

And  since  this  is  the  result  of  an  inexcusable  lack  of  knowledge 
and  appreciation  of  His  glorious  Work  in  the  entire  creation,  holy 
enthusiasm  constrained  me,  in  the  power  of  God,  to  offer  my  fellow 
champions  for  the  faith  once  delivered  by  the  fathers,  some  assist- 
ance in  this  respect. 

May  the  Holy  Spirit,  whose  divine  Work  I  have  uttered  in  hu- 
man words  and  with  stammering  tongue,  crown  this  labor  with  such 
blessing  that  you  may  feel  His  unseen  Presence  more  closely,  and 
that  He  may  bring  to  your  disquieted  heart  more  abundant  conso- 
lation. 

Amsterdam,  April  lo,  1888. 


Postscript  for  American  readers,  I  add  one  more  observation. 

This  work  contains  occasional  polemics  against  Methodism 
which  to  the  many  ministers  and  members  of  the  churches  called 
"Methodist"  may  appear  unfair  and  uncalled  for.  Be  it,  there- 
fore, clearly  stated  that  my  controversy  with  Methodism  is  never 
with  these  particular  churches.  The  Methodism  that  I  contend  with 
prevailed  until  recently  in  nearly  all  the  Protestant  churches  as  an 
unhealthy  fruit  of  the  Reveil  in  the  beginning  of  this  century. 
Methodism  as  here  intended  is  identical  with  what  Mr.  Heath,  in  The 
Contanporary  Review  (May,  1898),  criticized  as  wofully  inadequate  to 
place  Protestantism  again  at  the  head  of  the  spiritual  movement. 

Methodism  was  born  out  of  the  spiritual  decline  of  the  Episco- 
pal Church  of  England  and  Wales.  It  arose  as  the  reaction  of  the 
individual  and  of  the  spiritual  subjective  against  the  destructive 
power  of  the  objective  in  the  community  as  manifested  in  the 
Church  of  England.  As  such  the  reaction  was  precious  and  un- 
doubtedly a  gift  of  God,  and  in  its  workings  it  would  have  contin- 
ued just  as  salutary  if  it  had  retained  its  character  of  a  predominant 
reaction. 


PREFACE    OF   THE   AUTHOR  xiii 

It  should  have  supposed  the  Church  as  a  community  as  an 
objective  power,  and  in  this  objective  domain  it  should  have  vindi- 
cated the  significance  of  the  individual  spiritual  life  and  of  the 
subjective  confessing. 

But  it  failed  to  do  this.  From  vindicating  the  subjective  rights 
of  the  individual  it  soon  passed  into  antagonism  against  the  objec- 
tive rights  of  the  community.  This  resulted  dogmatically  in  the 
controversy  about  the  objective  work  of  God,  viz.,  in  His  decree 
and  His  election,  and  ecclesiastically  in  antagonism  against  the  ob- 
jective work  of  the  office  through  the  confession.  It  gave  suprem- 
acy to  the  subjective  element  in  man's  free  will  and  to  the  individ- 
ual element  in  the  deciding  of  unchurchly  conflicts  in  the  Church. 
And  so  it  retained  no  other  aim  than  the  conversion  of  individual 
sinners;  and  for  this  work  it  abandoned  the  organic,  and  retained 
only  the  mechanical  method. 

As  such  it  celebrated  in  the  so-called  Reveil  its  most  glorious 
triumph,  and  penetrated  nearly  all  the  Protestant  churches,  and 
even  the  Episcopal  Church  under  the  name  of  Evangelicalism  or 
Low  Churchism.  As  a  second  reaction  against  the  second  decline 
of  the  Protestant  churches  of  that  time  this  triumph  undoubtedly 
brought  a  great  blessing. 

But  when  the  necessity  arose  to  reduce  this  new  spiritual  life 
to  a  definite  principle,  upon  this  to  construct  a  Protestant-Christian 
life  and  world-view  in  opposition  to  the  unchristian  philosophies 
and  to  the  essentially  pantheistic  life  and  world-view,  and  to  give 
these  position  and  to  maintain  it,  then  it  pitiably  failed.  It  lacked 
conscious,  sharply  defined  principles;  with  its  individualism  and 
subjectivity  it  could  not  reach  the  social  questions,  and  by  reason 
of  its  complete  lack  of  organic  unity  it  could  not  formulate  an  in- 
dependent life  and  world-view;  yea,  it  stood  everywhere  as  an  ob- 
stacle to  such  formations. 

For  this  reason  it  is  absolutely  necessary  to  teach  the  Protestant 
churches  clearly  to  see  this  dark  shadow  of  Methodism,  while  at 
the  same  time  they  should  continue  to  study  its  precious  signifi- 
cance as  a  spiritual  reaction. 

Hence  my  contending  with  Methodism  and  my  persistent  point- 
ing to  the  imperative  necessity  of  vindicating  over  against  and 
alongside  of  the  purely  mechanical  subjectivity  the  rights  of  the 
organic  social  in  all  human  life,  and  of  satisfying  the  need  of  the 
power  of  objectivity  in  presence  of  the  extravagant  statements  of 


xiv  PREFACE    OF   THE   AUTHOR 

subjectivity.     This  presses  all   the  more  since  in  the  Methodist 
theology  of  America  the  modem  tendency  is  gaining  ground. 

The  Work  of  the  Holy  Spirit  may  not  be  displaced  by  the  activ- 
ity of  the  human  spirit, 

KUYPER. 
Amsterdam,  April  21,  1899. 


EXPLANATORY   NOTES   TO    THE    AMERICAN 

EDITION. 


Dr.  Kuyper's  work  on  the  Holy  Spirit  first  appeared  in  the  He- 
raut  in  weekly  instalments,  after  which  it  was  published  in  book 
form,  Amsterdam,  1888, 

This  explains  the  object  of  the  author  in  writing  the  book,  viz., 
the  instruction  of  the  people  of  the  Netherlands.  Written  in  the 
ordinary  language  of  the  people,  it  meets  the  need  of  both  laity  and 
clergy. 

However,  depth  of  thought  was  not  sacrificed  to  simplicity  of 
speech.  On  the  contrary,  the  latter  was  only  the  instrument  to 
make  the  former  lucid  and  transparent. 

The  Heraut  is  a  religious  weekly  of  which  Dr.  Kuyper  has  been 
the  editor-in-chief  for  more  than  twenty  years.  It  is  published  on 
Friday,  and  forms  the  Sunday  reading  of  a  large  constituency. 
Through  its  columns  Dr.  Kuyper  has  taught  again  the  people  of  the 
Netherlands,  in  city  and  country,  the  principles  of  the  Reformed 
faith,  and  how  to  give  these  principles  a  new  development  in  ac- 
cordance with  the  modem  conscience  of  our  time. 

Dr.  Kuyper  is  not  an  apologist,  but  an  earnest  and  conscientious 
reconstructionist.  He  has  made  the  people  acquainted  with  the 
symbols  of  the  Reformed  faith,  and  by  expounding  the  Scriptures 
to  them  he  has  maintained  and  defended  the  positions  of  those 
symbols.  His  success  in  this  respect  appears  conspicuously  in  the 
reformation  of  the  Reformed  Churches  in  1886,  and  in  the  subsequent 
development  of  marvelous  energy  and  activity  in  Church  and  State 
which  are  products  of  revived  and  reconstructed  Calvinism.  With- 
out the  patient  toil  and  labor  of  this  quarter  of  a  century,  that  ref- 
ormation would  have  been  impossible. 

In  his  religious  and  political  reformations.  Dr.  Kuyper  proceed- 
ed from  the  personal  conviction  that  the  salvation  of  Church  and 
State  could  be  found  only  in  a  return  to  the  deserted  foundations 
of  the  national  Reformed  theology;  but  not  to  reconstruct  it  in  its 


xvi        NOTES   TO   THE    AMERICAN    EDITION 

worn-out  form.  "  His  fresh,  brave  spirit  is  entirely  free  from  all 
conservatism"  (Dr.  W.  Geesink).  He  is  a  man  o/his  time  as  well 
a&for  his  time.  The  new  superstructure  which  he  has  been  rear- 
ing upon  the  carefully  reuncovered  foundations  of  the  Reformed 
theology  he  seeks  to  adapt  to  all  the  needs,  demands,  and  distresses 
of  the  present.     In  how  far  he  has  succeeded  time  only  can  tell. 

Since  1871  he  has  published  in  the  columns  of  the  Heraut  and 
afterward  in  book  form  the  following:  "  Out  of  the  Word,"  Bible 
studies,  four  volumes;  "The  Incarnate  Word, '"  The  Work  of  the 
Holy  Spirit,"  three  volumes,  and  "  E  Voto  Dordraceno,"  an  explana- 
tion of  the  Heidelberg  Catechism,  four  volumes.  This  last  work  is 
a  rich  treasury  of  sound  and  thorough  theology,  dogmatic  and  prac- 
tical. He  has  published  several  other  treatises  which  have  not  yet 
appeared  in  book  form.  Among  these  we  notice  especially  *'  On 
Common  Grace,"  which,  still  in  process  of  publication,  is  full  of 
most  excellent  reading.  The  number  of  his  works  amounts  already 
to  over  one  hundred  and  fifty,  a  partial  list  of  which  is  to  be  found 
following  this  introduction. 

The  following  works  have  been  translated  into  English :  "  Ency- 
clopaedia of  Sacred  Theology"  (Charles  Scribner's  Sons,  1898); 
"Calvinism  and  Art";  "Calvinism  and  Our  Constitutional  Lib- 
erties"; "Pantheism  and  Destruction  of  the  Boundaries";  "The 
Stone  Lectures." 

For  the  better  understanding  of  the  work,  the  translator  begs  to 
offer  the  following  explanations : 

"  Ethical  Irenical,"  or  simply  "  Ethical,"  is  the  name  of  a  move- 
ment in  the  Netherlands  that  seeks  to  mediate  between  modem 
Rationalism  and  the  orthodox  confession  of  the  old  Reformed 
Church.  It  seeks  to  restore  peace  and  tranquillity  not  by  a  return 
to  the  original  church  order,  nor  by  the  maintenance  of  the  old 
Confession  and  the  removal  of  deviating  ministers  through  trial 
and  deposition  (Judicial  Treatment),  but  by  making  efforts  to  find 
a  common  ground  for  both  parties.  It  proceeds  from  the  idea  that 
that  which  is  diseased  in  the  Church  can  and  will  return  to  health  : 
partly  by  letting  the  disease  alone  to  run  its  course  {Doorzieken) — 
forgetting  that  corruption  in  the  Church  is  not  a  disease,  but  a  sin ;  * 
partly  1  j  a  liberal  diffusion  of  Bible  knowledge  among  the  people 
(Medical  Treatment). 

*  Dr.  W.  Geesink. 


NOTES   TO   THE    AMERICAN    EDITION       xvii 

Dr.  Chantepie  de  la  Saussaj'e,  a  disciple  of  Schleiermacher,  was 
the  spiritual  father  of  this  Ethical  theology.  Born  in  1818,  Dr.  De 
la  Saussaye  entered  the  University  of  Leyden  in  1836.  Dissatis- 
fied with  the  rational  supernaturalism  of  a  former  generation, 
unable  to  adapt  himself  to  the  vagueness  and  ambiguousness  of  the 
so-called  Groningen  school,  or  to  find  a  basis  for  the  development 
of  his  theological  science  in  the  treasures  of  the  Calvinistic  theol- 
ogy, he  felt  himself  strongly  attracted  to  the  school  of  Schelling, 
and  through  him  he  came  under  the  influence  of  Pantheism.  During 
the  years  of  his  pastorate  in  Leeuwarden  (1842-48)  and  in  Leyden 
to  1872,  he  modified  and  developed  the  ideas  of  Schleiermacher  in 
an  independent  way.  The  Ethical  theology  was  the  result.  Its 
basic  thought  may  be  comprehended  as  follows : 

"  Transcendent  above  nature,  God  is  also  immanent  in  nature. 
This  immanence  is  not  merely  physical,  but  also,  on  the  ground  of 
this,  ethical.  This  ethical  immanence  manifests  itself  in  the  relig- 
ious moral  life,  which  is  the  real  and  true  life  of  man.  It  originates 
in  the  heathen  world,  and  through  Israel  ascends  to  Christ,  in  whom 
it  attains  completion.  Among  the  heathen  it  manifests  itself  espe- 
cially in  the  conscience  with  its  two  elements  of  fear  and  hope; 
among  Israel  in  Law  and  Prophecy ;  and  in  Christ  in  His  perfect 
union  with  God  and  humanity.  For  this  reason  He  is  the  Word/ar 
excellence,  the  Central  Man,  in  whom  all  that  is  human  is  realized. 
However,  while  until  Christ  it  proceeded  from  circumference  to 
center,  after  Christ  it  proceeds  in  ever-widening  circles  from  center 
to  circumference.  Life  flows  from  Christ  into  the  Church,  which, 
having  temporarily  become  an  institution  for  the  education  of  the 
nations,  became  through  the  Reformation  and  the  French  Revolti- 
tion  what  it  should  be,  a  confessing  Church.  Its  power  lies  no 
more  in  ecclesiastical  organization,  neither  in  authoritative  creed 
and  confession,  but  in  moral  activity  and  influence.  The  divine 
Word  in  the  conscience  begins  to  work  and  to  govern ,  Christianity 
is  being  transferred  into  the  moral  domain. 

"  However,  the  perfect  ethical  immanence  of  God  is  not  attained 
in  this  dispensation ;  being  always  possible,  it  may  be  realized  in 
the  succeeding  eons."* 

It  is  not  surprising  that  this  theology,  obliterating  with  its  pan- 
theistic current  the  boundary-lines  between  the  Creator  and  the 

*  Dr.  Bavink. 


xviii      NOTES   TO   THE   AMERICAN    EDITION 

creature,  should  have  come  in  hostile  contact  with  the  Reformed 
theology,  which  most  zealously  guards  these  boundary-lines.  In 
fact,  instead  of  uniting  the  two  existing  parties  on  one  common 
ground,  the  Ethical  movement  added  a  third,  which  in  the  subse- 
quent conflict  was  much  more  bitter,  arbitrary,  and  tyrannical  than 
the  moderns,  and  which  has  already  abandoned  the  Holy  Scriptures 
in  the  manner  of  Wellhausen  and  Kuenen. 

In  1872  Dr.  Chantepie  de  la  Saussaye  was  appointed  professor 
of  theology  in  the  University  of  Groningen,  succeeding  Hofstede 
de  Groot.  He  filled  this  position  but  thirteen  months.  He  fell 
asleep  February  13,  1874. 

His  most  excellent  disciple  is  the  highly  gifted  Dr.  J.  H.  Gun- 
ning, till  1899  professor  of  theology  at  the  University  of  Leyden. 

The  name  of  Dr.  Kohlbrugge  is  frequently  found  in  the  follow- 
ing pages.  Born  a  Lutheran,  a  graduate  of  the  seminary  of  Am- 
sterdam, a  candidate  for  the  Lutheran  ministry,  Dr.  Kohlbrugge 
became  acquainted  with  the  Reformed  theology  through  the  study 
of  its  earlier  exponents.  Known  and  feared  as  an  ardent  admirer 
of  the  doctrine  of  predestination,  the  authorities  first  of  the  Luther- 
an then  of  the  State  Church  refused  him  admission  to  the  minis- 
try. He  left  Holland  for  Germany,  where  for  the  same  reason  he 
was  debarred  from  the  pulpits  of  the  German  Reformed  churches. 
At  last  he  was  called  to  the  pulpit  of  a  Free  Reformed  church  at 
Elberfeld,  established  by  himself. 

He  was  a  profound  theologian,  a  prolific  writer,  and  one  zealous 
for  the  honor  of  his  Master.  His  numerous  writings,  half  Luther- 
an, half  Reformed,  were  spread  over  Holland,  the  Rhenish  prov- 
inces, the  cantons  of  Switzerland,  and  even  among  some  Reformed 
churches  of  Bohemia. 

Some  of  his  disciples  fell  into  Antinomianism,  and  occupy  pul- 
pits in  the  State  Church  at  the  present  time.  They  are  called  Neo- 
Kohlbruggians.  Professor  Bohl,  of  Vienna,  is  the  learned  repre- 
sentative of  the  Old  Kohlbruggians.  Both  the  old  and  the  new 
school  are  strongly  opposed  to  Calvinism. 

The  translation  of  "  The  Work  of  the  Holy  Spirit "  was  under- 
taken by  appointment  of  the  author,  to  whom  the  proof-sheets  of  al- 
most all  the  first  volume  were  submitted  for  correction.  Being 
■'  overwhelmed  "  with  work,  and  being  fully  satisfied  with  the  trans- 
lation so  far  as  he  had  seen  it,  the  author  decided  not  to  delay  the 
work  for  the  reading  of  the  remaining  volumes,  but  to  leave  that  to 


NOTES    TO    THE    AMERICAN    EDITION         xix 

the  discretion  of  the  translator.  A  question  of  the  omission  of  mat- 
ter referring  to  local  conditions  and  to  current  theological  discus- 
sions was  also  left  to  the  translator's  judgment. 

Grateful  thanks  are  due  to  Rev.  Thomas  Chalmers  Straus,  A.M., 
of  Peekskill,  N.  Y. ,  for  valuable  assistance  in  preparing  this  work 

for  the  press. 

Translator. 

Peekskill,  N.  Y.,  January  27,  1900. 

The  following  is  a  partial  list  of  the  works  of  Dr.  Kuyper: 

"J.  Calvini  et  J.  a  Lasco:   De  Ecclesia  Sententiarum  inter  se  Corapositio 

Acad.  Diss."     1862. 
"Joannis  a  Lasco:  Opera  turn  Edita  quam  Inedita."     Two  vols.,  1866. 
"Wat  moeten  wy  doen,  het  stemrecht  aan    ens   zelven   houden   of  den 

Kerkeraad  tnachtigen  ? "  (What  Are  We  to  Do :  Retain  the  Right  of 

Voting,  or  Authorize  the  Consistory  ?)     1867. 
"De  M en sch wording  Gods  Het   Levensbeginsel  der  Kerk."     Intreerede 

te  Utrecht.      (The   Incarnation  of    God    the  Vital    Principle  of  the 

Church.     Inaugural  discourse  at  Utrecht. )     1867. 
"Het  Graf."     Leerrede  aan  den  avond  van  Goede-Vrydag.     (The  Tomb. 

Sermon  on  Good  Friday  night.)     1869. 
"Zestal  Leerredenen."     (Six  Sermons.)     1869. 
"De  Kerkelyke  Goederen."     (Church  Property.)     1869. 
"Vrymaking  der  Kerk.      (The  Emancipation  of  the  Church.)     1869. 
"Het  Beroep  op  het  Volksgeweten."     (An  Appeal  to  the  National  Con- 
science.)    1869. 
"Eenvormigheid   de  Vloek  van  het  Moderne   Leven."     (Uniformity  the 

Curse  of  Modern  Life.)     1869. 
"De  Schrift  het  Woord  Gods."     (Scripture  the  Word  of  God.)     1870. 
"Kerkeraadsprotocollen  der  Hollandsche   Gemeente  te  London."     1569- 

1571.      (The  Consistorial  Minutes  of  the  Dutch  Church  in  London.) 

1870. 
"De  Hollandsche  Gemeente  te  London."     1 570-1 571.      (The  Dutch  Church 

in  London.)     1870. 
"  Conservatisme  en  Orthodoxie,  Valsche  en  Ware  Behoudzucht.  **     (Conser- 
vatism and  Orthodoxy,  the  True  and  the  False  Instinct  of  Self-Preser- 

vation.)     1870. 
"Gewortelden  Gegrond,  de  Kerk  als  Organisme  en  Institute."     (Rooted 

and  Grounded,  the  Church  as  Organism  and  Institute.)     Inaugural  at 

Amsterdam.     1870. 
"De  Leer  der  Onsterfelykheid  en  de  Staats   School."     (The  Doctrine  of 

Immortality  and  the  State  School.)     1870. 


XX  NOTES   TO   THE   AMERICAN    EDITION 

"Een  Perel  in  de  Verkeerde  Schelp."  (A  Pearl  in  the  Wrong  Shell.) 
1871. 

"Het  Modernisme  een  Fata  Morgana  op  Christelyk  Gabled."  (Modern- 
ism a  Fata  Morgana  in  the  Christian  Domain.)      1871. 

"De  Zending  Naar  de  Schrift."  (Missions  According  to  Scripture.) 
1871. 

"  Tweede  Zestal  Leerredenen. "     (Another  Six  Sermons. )     1871. 

"O  God  Wees  My  Zondaar  Genadig  '"  Leerrede  op  den  Laatsten  Dag  van 
Het  Jaar,  1870.  (O  God  be  Merciful  to  Me  a  Sinner'  Sermon  on 
Old  Year's  night,  1870.)     1871. 

"De  Bartholomeusnacht."     (The  Bartholomew  Night.)     1872. 

"De  Sneeuw  van  den  Libanon."     (The  Snow  of  Lebanon.)     1872. 

"Bekeertu  Want  het  Koningryk  Gods  is  Naby  "  (Repent,  for  the  Kingdom 
of  Heaven  Is  at  Hand).    Sermon  on  the  last  day  of  the  year  187 1      ^872. 

"HetVergryp  der  Zeventien  Ouderlingen  "  (The  Mistake  of  the  Seven- 
teen Elders.     Memoir  of  the  Consistory  of  Amsterdam.)     1872. 

"  Uit  het  Woord. "     (Out  of  the  Word. )     Devotional  Bible  studies.     1873. 

"Het  Calvinisme,  Oorsprong  en  Waarborg  onzer  Constitutioneele  Vry- 
heden."  (Calvinism,  the  Origin  and  Surety  of  Our  Constitutional 
Liberties.)     1874. 

"Uit  het  Woord."     (Out  of  the  Word. )     Second  volume,  1875. 

"De  Schoolquestie."     (The  School  Question.)     Six  brochures,  1875. 

"Liberalisten  en  Joden."     (Liberalists  and  Jews.)     1878. 

" Uit  het  Woord."     (Out  of  the  Word. )     Third  volume.  1879. 

"Ons  Program."     (Our  Program.)     1879 

"De  Leidsche  Professoren  en  de  Executeurs  der  Dordtsche  Nalatenschap. " 
(The  Leyden  Professors  and  the  Executors  of  the  Inheritance  of 
Dordt.)     1879. 

"  Revisie  der  Revisielegende. "     (Revision  of  the  Revision  Legend. )     1879. 

"De  Synode  der  Nederlandsche  Revormde  Kerk  uit  Haar  Eigen  Ver- 
maan brief  Geoordeeld."  (The  Synod  of  the  Reformed  Church  in  the 
Netherlands  Judged  by  Its  Own  Epistle  of  Exhortation.)     1879. 

"Antirevolutionair  ook  in  uw  Gezin."  (Anti-Revolutionary  Even  in  the 
Family.)     18S0. 

"Bede  om  een  Dubbel  Corrigendum."  (Prayer  for  a  Double  Corrigen- 
dum.)    1880. 

"Strikt  Genomen."  (Taken  Strictly.  The  Right  to  Found  a  University 
Tested  by  Public  Law  and  History.)     1880. 

"Souvereiniteitin  EigenKring."     (Sovereignty  in  Our  Own  Circle.)     1880. 

"Honig  uit  den  Rottsteen."     (Honey  Out  of  the  Rock.)     1880. 

"  De  Hedendaagsche  Schriftcritiek  in  Hare  Bedenkelyke  Strekking  voor  de 
Gemeente  des  Levenden  Gods."  (Modern  Criticism  and  Its  Danger- 
ous Influence  upon  the  Church  of  the  Living  God.)     Discourse.     1S82. 


NOTES    TO    THE    AMERICAN    EDITION        xxl 

"D.  Franscisci  Jnnii :  Opuscula  Theologica. "     1882. 

"Alexander  Comrie."  Translated  from  The  Catholic  Presbyterian  Re- 
view.    1882. 

"Ex  Ungue  Leouem."  Dr.  Doedes's  Method  of  Interpretation  Tested  on 
One  Point.     1882. 

"Welke  zyn  de  Vooruitzchten  voor  de  Studenten  der  vrye  Universiteit?  " 
(What  Are  the  Prospects  for  the  Students  of  the  Free  University?) 
1882. 

"Tractaat  van  de  Reformatie  der  Kerken."  (Tractate  of  the  Refornaation 
of  the  Churches.)     1883. 

"Honig  uit  den  Rottsteen."     (Honey  Out  of  the  Rock. )     Second  volume. 

1883. 
"Uit  het  Woord."    (Out  of  the  Word.)     Second  series,  first  volume  ;  That 

Grace  Is  Particular.     1884. 
"Yzer  en  Leem."     (Iron  and  Clay.)     Discourses.     1885. 
"  Uit  het  Woord. "     (Out  of  the  Word.)     Second  volume  :  The  Doctrine  of 

the  Covenants.     1885. 
"Uit  het  Woord."     Third  volume  :  The  Practise  of  Godliness.     1886. 
"Het  Dreigend  Conflict."     (The  Conflict  Threatening.)      1886. 
"Het  Conflict  Gekomen."     (The  Conflict  Come.)     Three  vols.,  1886. 
"Dr.  Kuyper  voor  de  Synode. "     (Dr.  Kuyper  Before  the  Synod.)     1886. 
"Laatste  Woord  tot  de  Conscientie  van  de  Leden  der  Synode."     (Last 

Word  to  the  Conscience  of  the  Members  of  Synod.)     On  behalf  of  the 

persecuted  members  of  the  Consistory  of  Amsterdam.     1886. 
"Afwerping  van  het  Juk  der  Synodale  Hierarchic."     (The  Throwing  Off 

of  the  Yoke  of  the  Synodical  Hierarchy.)     18S6. 
"Alzoozal  het  onder  u  niet.  zyn."      (It  Shall   Not  bo  So  Among  You.) 

1886. 
"  Eene  ziel  die  zich  Nederbuigt. "     (A  Prostrate  Soul. )     Opening  address 

of  the  Reformed  Church  Congress  at  Amsterdam.     18S7. 
"DeVerborgeu  Dingen  zyn  voor  den  Heere  Onzen  God."     (The  Secret 

Things  Belong  to  the  Lord  Our  God.)     1887. 
"Sion  Door  Recht  Verlost."     (Zion  Saved  through  Judgment.)     18S7. 
"DeVleeschwordingdes  Woords. "     (The  Incarnation  of  the  Word.)     1887. 
"Dagen  van  Goede  Boodschap."     (Days  of  Glad  Tidings.)     1887. 
"Tweederlei  Vaderland."     (Two  Fatherlands.)     1887. 
"Het  Calvinisme  en  de  Kunst."     (Calvinism  and  Art.)     1888. 
"Dr.  Gisberti  Voetii  Selectarum  Disputationum  Fasciculus."     In  the  Bib- 

liotheca  Reformat  a      1888. 
"Het  Work  des   Heihgen    Geestes."     (The   Work  of  the   Holy  Spirit.) 

Three  vols.,  1889. 
"Homer  voor  den  Sabbath."     (Homer  for  the  Sabbath.)     Meditations  on 

the  Sabbath.     1889. 


xxii       NOTES   TO   THE    AMERICAN    EDITION 

"Niet  de  Vryheidsboom  Maar  het  Kruis. "     (Not  the  Tree  of  Liberty,  but 

the  Cross.)     Opening  address  at    the  tenth  annual  meeting  of  the 

Deputies.     1889. 
"  Eer  is  Teer."     (Honor  Is  Tender.)     1889. 
"Handenarbeid."     (Manual  Labor.)     1889. 
"Scolastica."     (The  Secret  of  True  Study. )     1889. 
"Tractaat  van  den  Sabbath."     (Tractate  on  the   Sabbath.)     A  historical 

dogmatic  study.      1890. 
"Separatie  en  Doleantie."     ("Secession  and  Doleantie."     "Doleantie" — 

from  doleo,  to  suffer  pain,  to  mourn — is  in  Holland  the  historic  name 

adopted  by  a  body  of  Christians  to  designate  the  fact  that  they  are 

either  being  persecuted  by  the  State  Church  or  have  been  expelled 

from  its  communion  on  account  of  their  adherence  to  the  orthodox 

confession.)     1890. 
"Zion's  Roem  en  Sterkte."     (Zion's  Strength  and  Glory.)     1890. 
"De  Twaalf  Patriarchen."     (The  Twelve  Patriarchs.)     A  study  of  Bible 

characters.     1890. 
"Eenige  Kameradviezen. "     (Chamber  Advices.)     Of  the  years  1874,  1875. 

1890. 
"  Is  er  Aan  de  Publieke  Universiteit  ten  onzent  Plaats  voor  eeue  Facul- 

teit  der  Theologie?"     (Is  tbere  Room  in  Our  Public  Universities  for  a 

Theological  Faculty?)     1890. 
"Calvinism  and  Confessional  Revision."     In  T/ie  Presbyterian  and  Re- 
formed Review,  July,  1891. 
"Voor  een  Distel  een  Mirt."     (Instead  of  a  Brier  a  Myrtle-Tree.)     1891. 
"Maranatha."     Opening  address  at  the  meeting  of  Deputies.     1891. 
"Gedrachtslyn  by  de  Stembus."     (Line  of  Conduct  at  the  Polls.)     1891. 
"  Het  Sociale  Vraagstuk  en  de  Christelyke  Religie. "     (The  Social  Question 

and  the  Christian  Religion.)     Opening  address  at  the  Social  Congress. 

1891. 
"De  Verflauwing  der  Grenzen."     (The  Destruction  of  the  Boundaries.) 

Address  at  the  transfer  of  the  Rectorate  of  the  Free  University.     1892. 
"In  de  Schaduwe  des  Doods. "     (In  the  Shadows  of  Death.)     Meditations 

for  the  sick-charaber  and  death-bed.     1893. 
"  Encyclopsedie  der   Heilige  Godgeleerdheid."     (Encyclopedia  of  Sacred 

Theology.)     Three  vols. ,  1894. 
"E  Voto  Dordraceno."    Explanation  of  the  Heidelberg  Catechism.     Four 

vols.,  1894-95. 
Levinus  W.  C.  Keuchenius,  LL.D.     Biography.     1896. 
"De    Christus    en  de   Sociale  Nooden,  en   de    Democratische   Klippen." 

(Christ  and  the  Social  Needs  and  Democratic  Dangers.)     1895. 
"Ultgave  van  de  Statenvertaling  van  den  Bybel."     (Edition  of  the  Au- 
thorized Version  of  the  Bible. )     1895. 


NOTES   TO   THE   AMERICAN    EDITION      xxiii 

"  De  Zegen  des  Heeren  over  Onze  Kerken. "  (The  Blessing  of  the  Lord 
upon  Our  Churches.)     1896. 

"Vrouwen  uit  de  Heilige  Schrift."     (Women  of  the  Bible.)     1897, 

"Le  Parti  Antirevolutionaire."  (The  Anti-Revolutionary  Party.)  In 
Les  Pay-Pas.  Presented  by  the  Dutch  Society  of  Journalists  to  the 
foreign  journalists  at  the  inauguration  of  the  Queen.     1898. 

"By  de  Gratie  Gods."     (By  the  Grace  of  God.)     Address.     1898. 

"Calvinism."  Six  lectures  delivered  at  Princeton.  N.  J.,  October.  1898. 
"Calvinism  in  History."  "Calvinism  and  Religion."  "Calvinism  and 
Politics,"  "Calvinism  and  Science,"  "Calvinism  and  Art,"  "Calvinism 
and  the  Future."     Published  in  Dutch.  January,  1899. 

"Als  gy  in  uw  Huis  Zit."  (When  Thou  Sittest  in  Thine  House.)  Medita- 
tions for  the  Family.     July,  1899. 

"Evolutie. "  (Evolution.)  Oration  at  the  transfer  of  the  rectorate  of  the 
Free  University,  October  20.  1899. 


INTRODUCTORY  NOTE. 

By  prof,   benjamin  B.   WARFIELD,   D.D..   LL.D., 
Of  Princeton  Theological  Seminary. 

It  is  fortunately  no  longer  necessary  formally  to  introduce  Dr. 
Kuyper  to  the  American  religious  public.  Quite  a  number  of  his 
remarkable  essays  have  appeared  of  late  years  in  our  periodicals. 
These  have  borne  such  titles  as  "  Calvinism  in  Art,"  "  Calvinism  the 
Source  and  Pledge  of  Our  Constitutional  Liberties,"  "  Calvinism  and 
Confessional  Revision."  "The  Obliteration  of  Boundaries,"  "The 
Antithesis  between  Symbolism  and  Revelation  ";  and  have  appeared 
in  the  pages  of  such  publications  as  Christian  Thought,  Bibliotheca 
Sacra,  The  Presbyterian  and  Reformed  Review— not,  we  may  be  sure, 
without  delighting  their  readers  with  the  breadth  of  their  treatment 
and  the  high  and  penetrating  quality  of  their  thought.  The  col- 
umns of  The  Christian  Ititelligencer  have  from  time  to  time  during 
the  last  year  been  adorned  with  examples  of  Dr.  Kuyper's  practical 
expositions  of  Scriptural  truth ;  and  now  and  again  a  brief  but  il- 
luminating discussion  of  a  topic  of  present  interest  has  appeared  in 
the  columns  of  The  Independent.  The  appetite  whetted  by  this  taste 
of  good  things  has  been  partially  gratified  by  the  publication  in 
English  of  two  extended  treatises  from  his  hand — one  discussing  in 
a  singularly  profound  way  the  principles  of  "  The  Encyclopedia  of 
Sacred  Theology"  (Charles  Scribner's  Sons,  1898),  and  the  other 
expounding  with  the  utmost  breadth  and  forcefulness  the  funda- 
mental principles  of  "  Calvinism  "  (The  Fleming  H.  Revell  Company, 
1899).  The  latter  volume  consists  of  lectures  delivered  on  "  The 
L.  P.  Stone  Foundation,"  at  Princeton  Theological  Seminary  in  the 
autumn  of  1898,  and  Dr.  Kuyper's  visit  to  America  on  this  occasion 
brought  him  into  contact  with  many  lovers  of  high  ideas  in  Amer- 
ica, and  has  left  a  sense  of  personal  acquaintance  with  him  on  the 
minds  of  multitudes  who  had  the  good  fortune  to  meet  him  or  to 
hear  his  voice  at  that  time.  It  is  impossible  for  us  to  look  longer 
upon  Dr.  Kuyper  as  a  stranger,  needing  an  introduction  to  our  fa- 


xxvi  INTRODUCTORY   NOTE 

vorable  notice,  when  he  appears  again  before  us;  he  seems  rather 
now  to  be  one  of  our  own  prophets  to  whose  message  we  have  a 
certain  right,  and  a  new  book  from  whose  hands  we  welcome  as 
we  would  a  new  gift  from  our  near  friend  charged  in  a  sense  with 
care  for  our  welfare.  The  book  that  is  at  present  offered  to  the 
American  public  does  not  indeed  come  fresh  from  his  hands.  It 
has  already  been  within  the  reach  of  his  Dutch  audience  for  more 
than  a  decade  (it  was  published  in  1888),  It  is  only  recently,  how- 
ever, that  Dr.  Kuyper  has  come  to  belong  to  us  also,  and  the  pub- 
lication of  this  book  in  English,  we  may  hope,  is  only  another  step 
in  the  process  which  will  gradually  make  all  his  message  ours. 

Certainly  no  one  will  turn  over  the  pages  of  this  volume — much 
less  will  he,  as  our  Jewish  friends  would  say,  "  sink  himself  into  the 
book" — without  perceiving  that  it  is  a  very  valuable  gift  which 
comes  to  us  in  it  from  our  newly  found  teacher.  It  is,  as  will  be  at 
once  observed,  a  comprehensive  treatise  on  the  Work  of  the  Holy 
Ghost — a  theme  higher  than  which  none  can  occupy  the  attention 
of  the  Christian  man,  and  yet  one  on  which  really  comprehensive 
treatises  are  comparatively  rare.  It  is  easy,  to  be  sure,  to  exag- 
gerate the  significance  of  the  latter  fact.  There  never  was  a  time, 
of  course,  when  Christians  did  not  confess  their  faith  in  the  Holy 
Ghost ;  and  there  never  was  a  time  when  they  did  not  speak  to  one 
another  of  the  work  of  the  Blessed  Spirit,  the  Executor  of  the  God- 
head not  only  in  the  creation  and  upholding  of  the  worlds  and  in 
the  inspiration  of  the  prophets  and  apostles,  but  also  in  the  regen- 
erating and  sanctifying  of  the  soul.  Nor  has  there  ever  been  a 
time  when,  in  the  prosecution  of  its  task  of  realizing  mentally  the 
treasures  of  truth  put  in  its  charge  in  the  Scriptural  revelation,  the 
Church  has  not  busied  itself  also  with  the  investigation  of  the  mys- 
teries of  the  person  and  work  of  the  Spirit;  and  especially  has  there 
never  been  a  time  since  that  tremendous  revival  of  religion  which 
we  call  the  Reformation  when  the  whole  work  of  the  Spirit  in  the 
application  of  the  redemption  wrought  out  by  Christ  has  not  been 
a  topic  of  the  most  thorough  and  loving  study  of  Christian  men. 
Indeed,  it  partly  arises  out  of  the  very  intensity  of  the  study  given 
to  the  saving  activities  of  the  Spirit  that  so  few  comprehensive 
treatises  on  the  work  of  the  Spirit  have  been  written.  The  subject 
has  seemed  so  vast,  the  ramifications  of  it  have  appeared  so  far- 
reaching,  that  few  have  had  the  courage  to  undertake  it  as  a  whole. 
Dogmaticians  have,  to  be  sure,  been  compelled  to  present  the  en- 


BY   PROFESSOR   WARFIELD  xxvii 

tire  range  of  the  matter  in  its  appropriate  place  in  their  completed 
systems.  But  when  monographs  came  to  be  written,  they  have 
tended  to  confine  themselves  to  a  single  segment  of  the  great  cir- 
cle; and  thus  we  have  had  treatises  rather  on,  say,  Regeneration, 
or  Justification,  or  Sanctification,  on  the  Anointing  of  the  Spirit,  or 
the  Intercession  of  the  Spirit,  or  the  Sealing  of  the  Spirit,  than  on 
the  work  of  the  Spirit  as  a  whole.  It  would  be  a  great  mistake  to 
think  of  the  doctrine  of  the  Holy  Spirit  as  neglected,  merely  be- 
cause it  has  been  preferably  presented  under  its  several  rubrics  or 
parts,  rather  than  in  its  entirety.  How  easily  one  may  fall  into 
such  an  error  is  fairly  illustrated  by  certain  criticisms  that  have 
been  recently  passed  upon  the  Westminster  Confession  of  Faith — 
which  is  (as  a  Puritan  document  was  sure  to  be)  very  much  a  treat- 
ise on  the  work  of  the  Spirit — as  if  it  were  deficient,  in  not  having  a 
chapter  specifically  devoted  to  "  the  Holy  Spirit  and  His  Work," 
The  sole  reason  why  it  does  not  give  a  chapter  to  this  subject,  how- 
ever, is  because  it  prefers  to  give  nine  chapters  to  it ;  and  when  an 
attempt  was  made  to  supply  the  fancied  omission,  it  was  found  that 
pretty  much  all  that  could  be  done  was  to  present  in  the  proposed 
new  chapter  a  meager  summary  of  the  contents  of  these  nine  chap- 
ters. It  would  have  been  more  plausible,  indeed,  to  say  that  the 
Westminster  Confession  comparatively  neglected  the  work  of 
Christ,  or  even  the  work  of  God  the  Father.  Similarly  the  lack  in 
our  literature  of  a  large  number  of  comprehensive  treatises  on  the 
work  of  the  Holy  Spirit  is  in  part  due  to  the  richness  of  our  litera- 
ture in  treatises  on  the  separate  portions  of  that  work  severally.  The 
significance  of  Dr.  Kuyper's  book  is,  therefore,  in  part  due  only  to 
the  fact  that  he  has  had  the  courage  to  attack  and  the  gifts  success- 
fully to  accomplish  a  task  which  few  have  possessed  the  breadth 
either  of  outlook  or  of  powers  to  undertake.  And  it  is  no  small  gain 
to  be  able  to  survey  the  whole  field  of  the  work  of  the  Holy  Spirit 
in  its  organic  unity  under  the  guidance  of  so  fertile,  so  systematic, 
and  so  practical  a  mind.  If  we  can  notlook  upon  it  as  breaking  en- 
tirely new  ground,  or  even  say  that  it  is  the  only  work  of  its  kind 
since  Owen,  we  can  at  least  say  that  it  brings  together  the  material 
belonging  to  this  great  topic  with  a  systematizing  genius  that  is 
very  rare,  and  presents  it  with  a  penetrating  appreciation  of  its 
meaning  and  a  richness  of  apprehension  of  its  relations  that  is  ex- 
ceedingly illuminating. 

It  is  to  be  observed  that  we  have  not  said  without  qualification 


xxviii  INTRODUCTORY  NOTE 

that  the  comparative  rarity  of  such  comprehensive  treatises  on  the 
work  of  the  Holy  Spirit  as  Dr.  Kuyper's  is  due  simply  to  the  great- 
ness and  difficulty  of  the  task.  "We  have  been  careful  to  say  that 
it  is  only  in  part  due  to  this  cause.  It  is  only  in  the  circles  to 
which  this  English  translation  is  presented,  to  say  the  truth,  that 
this  remark  is  applicable  at  all.  It  is  the  happiness  of  the  Re- 
formed Christians  of  English  speech  that  they  are  the  heirs  of  what 
must  in  all  fairness  be  spoken  of  as  an  immense  literature  upon  this 
great  topic ;  it  may  even  be  said  with  some  justice  that  the  pecu- 
liarity of  their  theological  labor  turns  just  on  the  diligence  and 
depth  of  their  study  of  this  locus.  It  is,  it  will  be  remembered,  to 
John  Owen's  great  "  Discourse  Concerning  the  Holy  Spirit"  that 
Dr.  Kuyper  points  as  hitherto  the  normative  treatise  on  the  subject. 
But  John  Owen's  book  did  not  stand  alone  in  his  day  and  genera- 
tion, but  was  rather  merely  symptomatic  of  the  engrossment  of 
the  theological  thought  of  the  circle  of  which  he  was  so  great  an 
ornament  in  the  investigation  of  this  subject.  Thomas  Goodwin's 
treatise  on  "  The  Work  of  the  Holy  Ghost  in  Our  Salvation  "  is  well 
worthy  of  a  place  by  its  side ;  and  it  is  only  the  truth  to  say  that 
Puritan  thought  was  almost  entirely  occupied  with  loving  study  of 
the  work  of  the  Holy  Spirit,  and  found  its  highest  expression  in  dog- 
matico-practical  expositions  of  the  several  aspects  of  it — of  which 
such  treatises  as  those  of  Charnock  and  Swinnerton  on  Regeneration 
are  only  the  best-known  examples  among  a  multitude  which  have 
fallen  out  of  memory  in  the  lapse  of  years.  For  a  century  and  a 
half  afterward,  indeed,  this  topic  continued  to  form  the  hinge  of 
the  theologizing  of  the  English  Nonconformists.  Nor  has  it  lost 
its  central  position  even  yet  in  the  minds  of  those  who  have  the' 
best  right  to  be  looked  upon  as  the  successors  of  the  Puritans. 
There  has  been  in  some  quarters  some  decay,  to  be  sure,  in  sure- 
ness  of  grasp  and  theological  precision  in  the  presentation  of  the 
subject;  but  it  is  possible  that  a  larger  number  of  practical  treat- 
ises on  some  element  or  other  of  the  doctrine  of  the  Spirit  continue 
to  appear  from  the  English  press  annually  than  on  any  other  branch 
of  divinity.  Among  these,  such  books  as  Dr.  A.  J.  Gordon's  "  The 
Ministry  of  the  Spirit,"  Dr.  J.  E.  Cumming's  "Through  the  Eternal 
Spirit,"  Principal  H.  C.  G.  Moule's  "  Veni  Creator,"  Dr.  Redford's 
"  Vox  Dei,"  Dr.  Robson's  "  The  Holy  Spirit,  the  Paraclete,"  Dr. 
Vaughan's  "  The  Gifts  of  the  Holy  Spirit" — to  name  only  a  few  of 
the  most  recent  books — attain  a  high  level  of  theological  clarity 


BY   PROFESSOR    WARFIELD  xxix 

and  spiritual  power;  while,  if  we  may  be  permitted  to  go  back  only 
a  few  years,  we  may  find  in  Dr.  James  Buchanan's  "  The  Office  and 
Work  of  the  Holy  Spirit,"  and  in  Dr.  George  Smeaton's  "  The  Doc- 
trine of  the  Holy  Spirit,"  two  treatises  covering  the  whole  ground 
— the  one  in  a  more  practical,  the  other  in  a  more  didactic  spirit — 
in  a  manner  worthy  of  the  best  traditions  of  our  Puritan  fathers. 
There  has  always  been  a  copious  stream  of  literature  on  the  work  of 
the  Holy  Spirit,  therefore,  among  the  English-speaking  churches ; 
and  Dr.  Kuyper's  book  comes  to  us  not  as  something  of  a  novelty, 
but  as  a  specially  finely  conceived  and  executed  presentation  of  a 
topic  on  which  we  are  all  thinking. 

But  the  case  is  not  the  same  in  all  parts  of  Christendom.  If  we 
lift  our  eyes  from  our  own  special  condition  and  view  the  Church  at 
large,  it  is  a  very  dififerent  spectacle  that  greets  them.  As  we 
sweep  them  down  the  history  of  the  Church,  we  discover  that  the 
topic  of  the  work  of  the  Holy  Spirit  was  one  which  only  at  a  late 
date  really  emerged  as  the  explicit  study  of  Christian  men.  As  we 
sweep  them  over  the  whole  extent  of  the  modern  Church,  we  dis- 
cover that  it  is  a  topic  which  appeals  even  yet  with  little  force  to  very 
large  sections  of  the  Church.  The  povertj'  of  Continental  theology 
in  this  locus  is,  indeed,  after  all  is  said  and  done,  depressing.  Note 
one  or  two  little  French  books,  by  E.  Guers  and  G.  Tophel,*  and  a 
couple  of  formal  studies  of  the  New-Testament  doctrine  of  the  Spirit 
by  the  Dutch  writers  Stemler  and  Thoden  Van  Velzen,  called  out 
by  The  Hague  Society — and  we  have  before  us  almost  the  whole 
list  of  the  older  books  of  our  century  which  pretend  in  any  way 
to  cover  the  ground.  Nor  has  very  much  been  done  more  recently 
to  remedy  the  deficiency.  The  amazing  theological  activity  of 
latter-day  Germany  has,  to  be  sure,  not  been  able  to  pass  so  fruit- 
ful a  theme  entirely  by ;  and  her  scholars  have  given  us  a  few  scien- 
tific studies  of  sections  of  the  Biblical  material.  The  two  most 
significant  of  these  appeared,  indeed,  in  the  same  year  with  Dr. 
Kuyper's  book — Gloel's  "  Der  heilige  Geist  in  des  Heilsverkiindi- 
gung  des  Paulus,"  and  Gunkel's  "  Die  Wirkungen  des  heiligen  Geistes 
nach  d.  popular.  Anschauung  der  apostoHschen  Zeit  und  der  Lehre 
d.  A.  Paulus"  (2d  ed.,  1899);  these  have  been  followed  in  the  same 
spirit  by  Weienel  in  a  work  called  "  Die  Wirkungen  des  Geistes  und 

♦Guers'  "  Le  Saint-Esprit :  fetude  Doctrinale  et  Practique  "  (1865);  G. 
Tophel's  "The  Work  of  the  Holy  Spirit  in  Man"  (E.  T.,  1S82),  and  also 
more  recently  "  Le  Saint-Esprit ;  Cinq  Nouvelles  Etudes  Bibliques  "  (1899) . 


XXX  INTRODUCTORY   NOTE 

der  Geister  im  nachapostolischen  Zeitalter"  (1899);  while  a  little 
earlier  the  Dutch  theologian  Beversluis  issued  a  more  comprehensive 
study,  "  De  Heilige  Geest  en  zijne  werkingen  volgens  de  Schriften 
des  Nieuwen  Verbonds"  (1896).  Their  investigation  of  the  Biblical 
material,  however,  is  not  only  very  formal,  but  it  is  also  dominated 
by  such  imperfect  theological  presuppositions  that  it  can  carry  the 
student  scarcely  a  step  forward.  Very  recently  something  better 
in  this  respect  has  appeared  in  such  books  as  Th.  Meinhold's  "  Der 
heilige  Geist  und  sein  Wirken  am  einzelnen  Menschen,  mit  beson- 
derer  Beziehung  auf  Luther"  (1890,  i2mo,  pp.  228);*  W.  Kolling's 
"  Pneumatologie,  oder  die  Lehre  von  der  Person  des  heiligen  Geistes  " 
1894,  8vo,  pp.  368);  Karl  von  Lechler's  "Die  biblische  Lehre  vom 
heiligenGeiste"(i899,  8vo,  pp.  307);  andK.  F.  Nosgen's"  Geschichte 
von  der  Lehre  vom  heiligen  Geiste"  (1899,  8vo,  pp.  376); — which 
it  is  to  be  hoped  are  the  beginnings  of  a  varied  body  of  scholarly 
works  from  the  Lutheran  side,  out  of  which  may,  after  a  while, 
grow  some  such  comprehensive  and  many-sided  treatment  of  the 
whole  subject  as  that  which  Dr.  Kuyper  has  given  our  Dutch  breth- 
ren, and  now  us  in  this  English  translation.  But  none  of  them  pro- 
vides the  desired  treatise  itself,  and  it  is  significant  that  no  one 
even  professes  to  do  so.  Even  where,  as  in  the  case  of  the  books 
of  Meinhold  and  von  Lechler,  the  treatment  is  really  topical,  the 
author  is  careful  to  disclaim  the  purpose  to  provide  a  well-compacted, 
systematic  view  of  the  subject,  by  putting  on  his  title-page  a  hint 
of  a  historical  or  exegetical  point  of  view. 

In  fact,  only  in  a  single  instance  in  the  whole  history  of  German 
theological  literature — or,  we  may  say,  prior  to  Dr.  Kuyper  in  the 
entire  history  of  continental  theological  literature — has  any  one  had- 
the  courage  or  found  the  impulse  to  face  the  task  Dr.  Kuyper  has 
so  admirably  executed.  We  are  referring,  of  course,  to  the  great 
work  on  "  Die  Lehre  vom  heiligen  Geiste,"  which  was  projected  by 
that  theological  giant.  K.  A.  Kahnis,  but  the  first  part  of  which 
only  was  published — in  a  thin  volume  of  three  hundred  and  fifty-six 
pages,  in  1847.  It  was  doubtless  symptomatic  of  the  state  of  feel- 
ing in  Germany  on  the  subject  that  Kahnis  never  found  time  or  en- 
couragement in  a  long  life  of  theological  pursuits  to  complete  his 

*  Meinhold's  book  is  mainly  a  Lutheran  polemic  in  behalf  of  funda- 
mental princii^les,  against  the  Ritschlian  rationalism  on  this  subject.  As 
such  its  obverse  is  provided  in  the  recent  treatise  of  Rudolf  Otto,  "  Die  Au- 
schauung  vom  heiligen  Geiste  bei  Luther  "  (1898). 


BY   PROFESSOR   WARFIELD  xxxi 

book.  And,  indeed,  it  was  greeted  in  theological  circles  at  the 
time  with  something  like  amused  amazement  that  any  one  could 
devote  so  much  time  and  labor  to  this  theme,  or  expect  others  to  find 
time  and  energy  to  read  such  a  treatise.  We  are  told  that  a  well- 
known  theologian  remarked  caustically  of  it  that  if  things  were  to 
be  carried  out  on  that  scale,  no  one  could  expect  to  live  long  enough 
to  read  the  literature  of  his  subject;  and  the  similar  remark  made 
by  C.  Hase  in  the  preface  to  the  fifth  edition  of  his  "  Dogmatic,"  tho 
it  names  no  names,  is  said  to  have  had  Kahnis's  book  in  view.* 
The  significance  of  Kahnis's  unique  and  unsuccessful  attempt  to 
provide  for  German  Protestantism  some  worthy  treatment  of  the 
doctrine  of  the  Holy  Spirit  is  so  great  that  it  will  repay  us  to  fix 
the  facts  concerning  it  well  in  our  minds.  And  to  this  end  we  ex- 
tract the  following  account  of  it  from  the  introduction  of  the  work 
of  von  Lechler  which  we  have  just  mentioned  (p.  22  sgq.) : 

"We  have  to  indicate,  in  conclusion,  another  circumstance  in  the  his- 
tory of  our  doctrine,  which  is  in  its  way  just  as  significant  for  the  attitude 
of  present-day  science  toward  this  topic  as  was  the  silence  of  the  first  Ecu- 
menical Council  concerning  it  for  the  end  of  the  first  theological  age.  It 
is  the  extraordinary  poverty  of  monographs  on  the  Holy  Spirit.  Altho 
there  do  exist  some,  and  in  some  instances  important,  studies  dealing 
with  the  subject,  yet  their  number  is  out  of  all  proportion  to  the  greatness 
and  the  extent  of  the  problems.  We  doubtless  should  not  err  in  assu- 
ming that  vital  interest  in  a  scientific  question  will  express  itself  not 
merely  in  comprehensive  handbooks  and  encyclopedic  compendiums,  the 
latter  of  which  are  especially  forced  to  see  to  the  completeness  of  the  list 
of  subjects  treated,  but  of  necessity  also  in  those  separate  investigations  in 
which  especially  the  fresh  vigor  of  youth  is  accustomed  to  make  proof  of  its 
fitness  for  higher  studies.  What  lacuncE  we  should  have  to  regret  in  other 
branches  of  theological  science  if  a  rich  development  of  monographic  litera- 
ture did  not  range  itself  by  the  side  of  the  compendiums,  breaking  out  here 
and  there  new  paths,  laying  deeper  foundations,  supplying  valuable  mate- 
rial for  the  constructive  or  decorative  completion  of  the  scientific  structure  ! 
All  this,  in  the  present  instance,  however,  has  scarcely  made  a  beginning. 
The  sole  separate  treatise  which  has  been  projected  on  a  really  profound 
and  broad  basis  of  investigation — the  "  Lehre  vom  heiligen  Geiste  "  of  K. 
A.  Kahnis  (then  at  Breslau),  1847 — came  to  a  standstill  with  its  first  part. 
This  celebrated  theologian,  who  had  certainly  in  his  possession  in  surpri- 
sing measure  the  qualities  and  acquisitions  that  fitted  him  to  come  for- 
ward as  a  preparer  of  the  way  in  this  uncertain  and  little  worthily  studied 
subject,  had  set  before  himself  the  purpose  of  investigating  this,  as  he  him- 
self called  it, '  extraordinarily  neglected  '  topic,  at  once  on  its  Biblical,  ec« 

*  See  Holtzmann  in  the  Theolog.  Liter aturzeitung  of  1896,  xxv.,  p.  646. 


xxxii  INTRODUCTORY    NOTE 

clesiastical,  historical,  and  dogmatic  sides.  The  history  of  his  book 
is  exceedingly  instructive  and  suggestive  with  respect  to  the  topic  itself. 
He  found  the  subject,  as  he  approached  it  more  closely,  in  a  very 
special  degree  a  difficult  one,  chiefly  on  account  of  the  manifoldness  of  the 
conception.  At  first  his  results  became  ever  more  and  more  negative.  A 
controversy  with  the  '  friends  of  light  '  of  the  time  helped  him  forward. 
Testiutn  nubestnagts  juvant,  (jtiam  luciferorum  virorum  importntia  lu- 
mina.  But  God,  he  says,  led  him  to  greater  clearness  ;  the  doctrine  of  the 
Church  approved  itself  to  him.  Nevertheless  it  was  not  his  purpose  to  es- 
tablish the  Scriptural  doctrine  in  all  its  points,  but  only  to  exhibit  the  place 
which  the  Holy  Spirit  occupies  in  the  development  of  the  Word  of  God  m  the 
Old  and  New  Testaments.  There  was  a  feeling  that  came  to  him  that  we 
were  standing  upon  the  eve  of  a  new  outpouring  of  the  Spirit.  But  the 
wished-for  dawn,  he  says,  still  held  back. — His  wide  survey,  beyond  his 
special  subject,  of  the  whole  domain  of  science  in  the  corporate  life  of  the 
Church,  is  characteristic  no  less  of  the  subject  than  of  the  man.  It  was  not 
given  to  him,  however,  to  see  the  longed-for  flood  poured  over  the  parched 
fields.  His  exegetical  '  foundation  '  (chaps,  i.-iii.)  moves  in  the  old  tracks. 
Since  he  shared  essentially  the  subjective  point  of  view  of  Schleiermacher 
and  committed  the  final  decision  in  the  determining  conceptions  to  philoso- 
phy, in  spite  of  many  remarkable  flashes  of  insight  into  the  Scriptures  he 
remained  fixed  in  the  intellectualistic  and  ethical  mode  of  conceiving  the 
Holy  Ghost,  tho  this  was  accompanied  by  many  attempts  to  transcend 
Schleiermacher,  but  without  the  attaining  of  any  unitary  conception  and 
without  any  effort  to  bring  to  a  Scriptural  solution  the  burning  question  of 
the  personality  or  impersonality  of  the  Spirit.  The  fourth  chapter  insti- 
tutes a  comparison  between  the  Spirit  of  Christianity  and  that  of  heathen- 
ism. The  second  book  deals  first  with  the  relation  of  the  Church  to  the 
Holy  Spirit  in  general,  and  then  enters  upon  a  history  of  the  doctrine, 
which  is  carried,  however,  only  through  the  earliest  fathers,  and  breaks  off 
with  a  survey  of  the  scanty  harvest  which  the  first  age  supplied  to  the  suc- 
ceeding epochs,  in  which  the  richest  development  of  the  doctrine  took 
place.     Here  the  book  closes.  .  .  ."* 

Thus  the  only  worthy  attempt  German  theology  has  made  to  pro- 
duce a  comprehensive  treatise  on  the  work  of  the  Holy  Ghost  re- 
mains a  neglected  torso  till  to-day. 

If  v^^e  will  gather  up  the  facts  to  which  we  have  thus  somewhat  de- 
sultorily called  attention  into  a  prepositional  statement,  we  shall 
find  ourselves  compelled  to  recognize  that  the  doctrine  of  the  Holy 
Spirit  was  only  slowly  brought  to  the  explicit  consciousness  of  the 
Church,  and  has  even  yet  taken  a  firm  hold  on  the  mind  and  con- 
sciousness of  only  a  small  section  of  the  Church.  To  be  more  spe- 
cific, we  shall  need  to  note  that  the  early  Church  busied  itself  with 
the  investigation  within  the  limits  of  this  locus  of  only  the  doctrine 
*  Compare  the  remarks  of  Dr.  Smeaton,  op.  cit. ,  ed.  2,  p.  396. 


BY   PROFESSOR   WARFIELD  xxxiii 

of  the  person  of  the  Holy  Ghost — His  deity  and  personality — and  of 
His  one  function  of  inspirer  of  the  prophets  and  apostles,  while  the 
whole  doctrine  of  the  work  of  the  Spirit  at  large  is  a  gift  to  the 
Church  from  the  Reformation ;  *  and  we  shall  need  to  note  further 
that  since  its  formulation  by  the  Reformers  this  doctrine  has  taken 
deep  root  and  borne  its  full  fruits  only  in  the  Reformed  churches,  and 
among  them  in  exact  proportion  to  the  loyalty  of  their  adherence 
to,  and  the  richness  of  their  development  of,  the  fundamental  prin- 
ciples of  the  Reformed  theology.  Stated  in  its  sharpest  form  this 
is  as  much  as  to  say  that  the  developed  doctrine  of  the  work  of  the 
Holy  Spirit  is  an  exclusively  Reformation  doctrine,  and  more 
particularly  a  Reformed  doctrine,  and  more  particularly  still 
a  Puritan  doctrine.  Wherever  the  fundamental  principles  of 
the  Reformation  have  gone,  it  has  gone ;  but  it  has  come  to  its 
full  rights  only  among  the  Reformed  churches,  and  among  them 
only  where  what  we  have  been  accustomed  to  call  "  the  Second 
Reformation "  has  deepened  the  spiritual  life  of  the  churches  and 
cast  back  the  Christian  with  special  poignancy  of  feeling  upon  the 
grace  of  God  alone  as  his  sole  dependence  for  salvation  and  all 
the  goods  of  this  life  and  the  life  to  come.  Indeed,  it  is  possible  to 
be  more  precise  still.  The  doctrine  of  the  work  of  the  Holy 
spirit  is  a  gift  from  John  Calvin  to  the  Church  of  Christ.  He  did 
not,  of  course,  invent  it.  The  whole  of  it  lay  spread  out  on  the 
pages  of  Scripture  with  a  clearness  and  fulness  of  utterance  which 
one  would  think  would  secure  that  even  he  who  ran  should  read  it ; 
and  doubtless  he  who  ran  did  read  it,  and  it  has  fed  the  soul  of  the 
true  believer  in  all  ages.  Accordingly  hints  of  its  apprehension  are 
found  widely  scattered  in  all  Christian  literature,  and  in  particular 
the  germs  of  the  doctrine  are  spread  broadcast  over  the  pages 
of  Augustine.  Luther  did  not  fail  to  lay  hold  upon  them; 
Zwingli  shows  time  and  again  that  he  had  them  richly  in  his 
mind ;  they  constituted,  in  very  fact,  one  of  the  foundations  of  the 

*  For  the  epoch-making  character  of  the  Reformation  in  the  history  of 
this  doctrine  cf.  also  Nosgen,  op.  cit.,  p.  2.  "For  its  development,  a  divi- 
sion-line is  provided  simply  and  solely  by  the  Reformation,  and  this  merely 
because  at  that  time  only  was  attention  intensely  directed  to  the  right 
mode  of  the  application  of  salvation.  Thus  were  the  problems  of  the 
specially  saving  operation  of  the  Holy  Spirit,  of  the  manner  of  His  work- 
ing in  the  congpregation  of  believers  cast  into  the  foreground,  and  the  theo- 
logical treatment  of  this  doctrine  made  of  ever-increasing  importance  to 
the  Church  of  Christ, "  etc. 


xxxh  INTRODUCTORY    NOTE 

Reformation  movement,  or  rather  they  provided  its  vital  breath. 
But  it  was  Calvin  who  first  gave  them  anything  like  systematic  or 
adequate  expression ;  and  it  is  through  him  and  from  him  that  they 
have  come  to  be  the  assured  possession  of  the  Church  of  Christ. 
There  is  no  phenomenon  in  doctrinal  history  more  astonishing  than 
the  commonly  entertained  views  as  to  the  contribution  made  by 
John  Calvin  to  the  development  of  Christian  doctrine.  He  is  thought 
of  currently  as  the  father  of  doctrines,  such  as  that  of  predestination 
and  reprobation,  of  which  he  was  the  mere  heir, — taking  them  as 
wholes  over  from  the  hands  of  his  great  master  Augustine.  Mean- 
while his  real  personal  contributions  to  Christian  doctrine  are  utterly 
forgotten.  These  are  of  the  richest  kind  and  can  not  be  enumer- 
ated here.  But  it  is  germane  to  our  present  topic  to  note  that 
at  their  head  stand  three  gifts  of  the  first  value  to  the  Church's 
thought  and  life,  which  we  should  by  no  means  allow  to  pass  from 
our  gfrateful  memory.  It  is  to  John  Calvin  that  we  owe  that  broad 
conception  of  the  work  of  Christ  which  is  expressed  in  the  doc- 
trine of  His  threefold  office  of  Prophet,  Priest,  and  King;  he  was 
the  first  who  presented  the  work  of  Christ  under  this  schema,  and 
from  him  it  was  that  it  has  passed  into  a  Christian  commonplace. 
It  is  to  John  Calvin  that  we  owe  the  whole  conception  of  a  science 
of  "  Christian  Ethics";  he  was  the  first  to  outline  its  idea  and  de- 
velop its  principles  and  contents,  and  it  remained  a  peculium  of 
his  followers  for  a  century.  And  it  is  to  John  Calvin  that  we  owe 
the  first  formulation  of  the  doctrine  of  the  work  of  the  Holy  Ghost; 
he  himself  gave  it  a  very  rich  statement,  developing  it  especially 
in  the  broad  departments  of  "Common  Grace"  "Regeneration," 
and  "  the  Witness  of  the  Spirit";  and  it  is,  as  we  have  seen,  among 
his  spiritual  descendants  only  that  it  has  to  this  day  received  any 
adequate  attention  in  the  churches.  We  must  guard  ourselves,  of 
course,  from  exaggeration  in  such  a  matter;  the  bare  facts,  when 
put  forth  without  pausing  to  allow  for  the  unimportant  shadings, 
sound  of  themselves  sufficiently  like  an  exaggeration.*  But  it  is 
simply  true  that  these  great  topics  received  their  first  formulation 
at  the  hands  of  John  Calvin ;  and  it  is  from  him  that  the  Church  has 
derived  them,  and  to  him  that  it  owes  its  thanks  for  them. 

*So,  for  example,  a  careless  reading  of  pp.  65-77  of  Pannier's  "Le 
T^moignage  du  Saint-Esprit "  gives  the  impression  of  exaggeration,  where- 
as it  is  merely  the  suppression  of  all  minor  matters  to  emphasize  the  salient 
facts  that  is  responsible  for  this  effect. 


BY    PROFESSOR    VVARFIELD  xxxv 

And  if  we  pause  to  ask  why  the  formulation  of  the  doctrine  of 
the  work  of  the  Spirit  waited  for  the  Reformation  and  for  Calvin, 
and  why  the  further  working  out  of  the  details  of  this  doctrine  and  its 
enrichment  by  the  profound  study  of  Christian  minds  and  medita- 
tion of  Christian  hearts  has  come  down  from  Calvin  only  to  the  Puri- 
tans, and  from  the  Puritans  to  their  spiritual  descendants  like  the 
Free  Church  teachers  of  the  Disruption  era  and  the  Dutch  contest- 
ants for  the  treasures  of  the  Reformed  religion  of  our  own  day,  the 
reasons  are  not  far  to  seek.  There  is,  in  the  first  place,  a  regular 
order  in  the  acquisition  of  doctrinal  truth,  inherent  in  the  nature  of 
the  case,  which  therefore  the  Church  was  bound  to  follow  in  its  grad- 
ual realization  of  the  deposit  of  truth  given  it  in  the  Scriptures ;  and 
by  virtue  of  this  the  Church  could  not  successfully  attack  the  task  of 
assimilating  and  formulating  the  doctrine  of  the  work  of  the  Spirit 
until  the  foundations  had  been  laid  firmly  in  a  clear  grasp  on  yet 
more  fundamental  doctrines.  And  there  are,  in  the  next  place, 
certain  forms  of  doctrinal  construction  which  leave  no  or  only  a 
meager  place  for  the  work  of  the  personal  Holy  Spirit  in  the  heart; 
and  in  the  presence  of  these  constructions  this  doctrine,  even  where 
in  part  apprehended  and  acknowledged,  languishes  and  falls  out  of 
the  interest  of  men.  The  operation  of  the  former  cause  postponed 
the  development  of  the  doctrine  of  the  work  of  the  Spirit  until  the 
way  was  prepared  for  it ;  and  this  preparation  was  complete  only 
at  the  Reformation.  The  operation  of  the  second  cause  has  re- 
tarded where  it  has  not  stifled  the  proper  assimilation  of  the  doctrine 
in  many  parts  of  the  Church  until  to-day. 

To  be  more  specific.  The  development  of  the  doctrinal  system 
of  Christianity  in  the  apprehension  of  the  Church  has  actually  run 
through — as  it  theoretically  should  have  run  through — a  regular 
and  logical  course.  First,  attention  was  absorbed  in  the  contem- 
plation of  the  objective  elements  of  the  Christian  deposit,  and 
only  afterward  were  the  subjective  elements  taken  into  fuller  con- 
sideration. First  of  all  it  was  the  Christian  doctrine  of  God  that 
forced  itself  on  the  attention  of  men,  and  it  was  not  until  the 
doctrine  of  the  Trinity  had  been  thoroughly  assimilated  that  at- 
tention was  vigorously  attracted  to  the  Christian  doctrine  of  the 
God-man ;  and  again,  it  was  not  until  the  doctrine  of  the  Person 
of  Christ  was  thoroughly  assimilated  that  attention  was  poignantly 
attracted  to  the  Christian  doctrine  of  sin — man's  need  and  helpless- 
ness ;  and  only  after  that  had  been  wrought  fully  out  again  could 


xxxvi  INTRODUCTORY   NOTE 

attention  turn  to  the  objective  provision  to  meet  man's  needs  in 
the  work  of  Christ;  and  again,  only  after  that  to  the  subjective  pro- 
vision to  meet  his  needs  in  the  work  of  the  Spirit.  This  is  the  log- 
ical order  of  development,  and  it  is  the  actual  order  in  which  the 
Church  has  slowly  and  amid  the  throes  of  all  sorts  of  conflicts — 
with  the  world  and  with  its  own  slowness  to  believe  all  that  the 
prophets  have  written — worked  its  way  into  the  whole  truth  re- 
vealed to  it  in  the  Word.  The  order  is,  it  will  be  observed,  The- 
ology, Christology,  Anthropology  (Hamartialogy),  Impetration  of 
Redemption,  Application  of  Redemption;  and  in  the  nature  of  the 
case  the  topics  that  fall  under  the  rubric  of  the  application  of 
redemption  could  not  be  solidly  investigated  until  the  basis  had 
been  laid  for  them  in  the  assimilation  of  the  preceding  topics.  We 
have  connected  the  great  names  of  Athanasius  and  his  worthy 
successors  who  fought  out  the  Christological  disputes,  of  Augustine 
and  of  Anselm,  with  the  precedent  stages  of  this  development.  It 
was  the  leaders  of  the  Reformation  who  were  called  on  to  add  the 
capstone  to  the  structure  by  working  out  the  facts  as  to  the  applica- 
tion of  redemption  to  the  soul  of  man  through  the  Holy  Spirit. 
Some  elements  of  the  doctrine  of  the  Spirit  are  indeed  implicated 
in  earlier  discussions.  For  example,  the  deity  and  personality  of  the 
Spirit — the  whole  doctrine  of  His  person — was  a  part  of  the  doctrine 
of  the  Trinity,  and  this  accordingly  became  a  topic  for  early  debate, 
and  patristic  literature  is  rich  in  discussions  of  it.  The  authority  of 
Scripture  was  fundamental  to  the  whole  doctrinal  discussion,  and 
the  doctrine  of  the  inspiration  of  the  prophets  and  apostles  by  the 
Spirit  was  therefore  asserted  from  the  beginning  with  great  empha- 
sis. In  the  determination  of  man's  need  in  the  Pelagian  controversy 
much  was  necessarily  determined  about  "  Grace," — its  necessity,  its 
prevenience,  its  efficacy,  its  indefectibility, — and  in  this  much  was 
anticipated  of  what  was  afterward  to  be  more  orderly  developed 
in  the  doctrine  of  the  interior  work  of  the  Spirit ;  and  accordingly 
there  is  much  in  Augustine  which  preadumbrates  the  determination 
of  later  times.  But  even  in  Augustine  there  is  a  vagueness  and 
tentativeness  in  the  treatment  of  these  topics  which  advises  us  that 
while  the  facts  relatively  to  man  and  his  needs  and  the  methods  of 
God's  working  upon  him  to  salvation  are  firmly  grasped,  these  same 
facts  relatively  to  the  personal  activities  of  the  Spirit  as  yet  await 
their  full  assimilation.  Another  step  had  yet  to  be  taken :  the 
Church  needed  to  wait  yet  for  Anselm  to  set  on  foot  the  final  de- 


BY   PROFESSOR    WARFIELD  xxxvii 

termination  of  the  doctrine  of  a  vicarious  atonement;  and  only 
when  time  had  been  given  for  its  assimilation,  at  length  men's 
minds  were  able  to  take  the  final  step.  Then  Luther  rose  to  pro- 
claim justification  by  faith,  and  Calvin  to  set  forth  with  his  marvel- 
ous balance  the  whole  doctrine  of  the  work  of  the  Spirit  in  applying 
salvation  to  the  soul.  In  this  matter,  too,  the  fulness  of  the  times 
needed  to  be  waited  for;  and  when  the  fulness  of  the  times  came 
the  men  were  ready  for  their  task  and  the  Church  was  ready  for 
their  work.  And  in  this  collocation  we  find  a  portion  of  the  secret 
of  the  immense  upheaval  of  the  Reformation. 

Unfortunately,  however,  the  Church  was  not  ready  in  all  its  parts 
alike  for  the  new  step  in  doctrinal  development.  This  was,  of 
course,  in  the  nature  of  the  case :  for  the  development  of  doctrine 
takes  place  naturally  in  a  matrix  of  old  and  hardened  partial  concep- 
tions, and  can  make  its  way  only  by  means  of  a  conflict  of  opinion. 
All  Arians  did  not  disappear  immediately  after  the  Council  of  Nice ; 
on  the  contrary,  for  an  age  they  seemed  destined  to  rule  the  Church. 
The  decree  of  Chalcedon  did  not  at  once  quiet  all  Christological  de- 
bate, or  do  away  with  all  Christological  error.  There  were  remain- 
ders of  Pelagianism  that  outlived  Augustine ;  and  indeed  that  after 
the  Synod  of  Orange  began  to  make  headway  against  the  truth. 
Anselm's  construction  of  the  atonement  only  slowly  worked  its  way 
into  the  hearts  of  men.  And  so,  when  Calvin  had  for  the  first  time  for- 
mulated the  fuller  and  more  precise  doctrine  of  the  work  of  the  Spirit, 
there  were  antagonistic  forces  in  the  world  which  crowded  upon  it 
and  curtailed  its  influence  and  clogged  its  advance  in  the  apprehen- 
sion of  men.  In  general,  these  may  be  said  to  be  two :  the  sacerdotal 
tendency  on  the  one  hand  and  the  libertarian  tendency  on  the  other. 
The  sacerdotal  tendency  was  entrenched  in  the  old  Church ;  from 
which  the  Reformers  were  extruded  indeed  by  the  very  force  of  the 
new  leaven  of  their  individualism  of  spiritual  life.  That  Church  was 
therefore  impervious  to  the  newly  formulated  doctrine  of  the  work 
of  the  Spirit.  To  it  the  Church  was  the  depository  of  grace,  the  sac- 
raments were  its  indispensable  vehicle,  and  the  administration  of  it 
lay  in  the  hands  of  human  agents.  Wherever  this  sacramentarian- 
ism  went,  in  however  small  a  measure,  it  tended  so  far  to  distract 
men's  attention  from  the  Spirit  of  God  and  to  focus  it  on  the  7nedia  of 
His  working;  and  wherever  it  has  entrenched  itself,  there  the  study 
of  the  work  of  the  Spirit  has  accordingly  more  or  less  languished. 
It  is  easy  indeed  to  say  that  the  Spirit  stands  behind  the  sacraments 


xxxviii  INTRODUCTORY   NOTE 

and  is  operative  in  the  sacraments ;  as  a  matter  of  fact,  the  sacra- 
ments tend,  in  all  such  cases,  to  absorb  the  attention,  and  the  theo- 
retical explanations  of  their  efficacy  as  vested  in  the  Spirit's  energy 
tend  to  pass  out  of  the  vivid  interest  of  men.  The  libertarian 
tendency,  on  the  other  hand,  was  the  nerve  of  the  old  semi-Pelagi- 
anism  vv^hich  in  Thomism  and  Tridentinism  became  in  a  modified 
form  the  formal  doctrine  of  the  Church  of  Rome ;  and  in  various 
forms  it  soon  began  to  seep  also  into  and  to  trouble  the  churches 
of  the  Reformation — first  the  Lutheran  and  after  that  also  the  Re- 
formed. To  it,  the  will  of  man  was  in  greater  or  less  measure  the 
decisive  factor  in  the  subjective  reception  of  salvation;  and  in  pro- 
portion as  it  was  more  or  less  developed  or  more  or  less  fully  ap- 
plied, interest  in  the  doctrine  of  the  subjective  work  of  the  Spirit 
languished,  and  in  these  circles  too  men's  minds  were  to  that  degree 
distracted  from  the  study  of  the  doctrine  of  the  work  of  the  Spirit, 
and  tended  to  focus  themselves  on  the  autocracy  of  the  human  will 
and  its  native  or  renewed  ability  to  obey  God  and  seek  and  find  com- 
munion with  Him.  No  doubt  here  too  it  is  easy  to  point  to  the  func- 
tion which  is  still  allowed  the  Spirit,  in  most  at  least  of  the  theo- 
logical constructions  on  this  basis.  But  the  practical  effect  has  been 
that  just  in  proportion  as  the  autocracy  of  the  human  will  in  salva- 
tion has  been  emphasized,  the  interest  in  the  internal  work  of  the 
Spirit  has  declined.  When  we  take  into  consideration  the  wide- 
spread influence  that  has  been  attained  even  in  the  Protestant 
world  by  these  two  antagonistic  tendencies,  we  shall  cease  to  wonder 
at  the  widespread  neglect  that  has  befallen  the  doctrine  of  the  work  of 
the  Spirit.  And  we  shall  have  prosecuted  our  inquiry  but  a  little 
way  before  we  become  aware  how  entirely  these  facts  account  for 
the  phenomena  before  us :  how  completely  it  is  true  that  interest  in 
the  doctrine  of  the  work  of  the  Spirit  has  failed  just  in  those  regions 
and  just  in  those  epochs  in  which  either  sacramentarian  or  libertarian 
opinions  have  ruled;  and  how  true  it  is  that  engagement  with  this 
doctrine  has  been  intense  only  along  the  banks  of  that  narrow 
stream  of  religious  life  and  thought  the  keynote  of  which  has  been 
the  soli  Deo  gloria  in  all  its  fulness  of  meaning.  With  this  key 
in  hand  the  mysteries  of  the  history  of  this  doctrine  in  the  Church 
are  at  once  solved  for  us. 

One  of  the  chief  claims  to  our  attention  which  Dr.  Kuyper's 
book  makes,  therefore,  is  rooted  in  the  fact  that  it  is  a  product  of  a 
great  religious  movement  in  the  Dutch  churches.     This  is  not  the 


BY    PROFESSOR   WARFIELD  xxxix 

place  to  give  a  history  of  that  movement.  We  have  all  watched  it 
with  the  intensest  interest,  from  the  rise  of  the  Free  Churches  to 
the  union  with  them  of  the  new  element  from  the  Doleantie.  We 
have  lacked  no  proof  that  it  was  a  movement  of  exceptional  spir- 
itual depth;  but  had  there  lacked  any  such  proof,  it  would  be 
supplied  by  the  appearance  of  this  book  out  of  its  heart.  Wher- 
ever men  are  busying  themselves  with  holy  and  happy  meditations 
on  the  Holy  Ghost  and  His  work,  it  is  safe  to  say  the  foundations 
of  a  true  spiritual  life  are  laid,  and  the  structure  of  a  rich  spiritual 
life  is  rising.  The  mere  fact  that  a  book  of  this  character  offers  it- 
self as  one  of  the  products  of  this  movement  attracts  us  to  it ;  and 
the  nature  of  the  work  itself — its  solidity  of  thought  and  its  depth 
of  spiritual  apprehension — brightens  our  hopes  for  the  future  of 
the  churches  in  which  it  has  had  its  birth.  Only  a  spiritually 
minded  Church  provides  a  soil  in  which  a  literature  of  the  Spirit 
can  grow.  There  are  some  who  will  miss  in  the  book  what  they 
are  accustomed  to  call  "scientific"  character;*  it  has  no  lack  cer- 
tainly of  scientific  exactitude  of  conception,  and  if  it  seems  to  any 
to  lack  "  scientific  "  form,  it  assuredly  has  a  quality  which  is  better 
than  anything  that  even  a  "scientific"  form  could  give  it — it  is  a 
religious  book.  It  is  the  product  of  a  religious  heart,  and  it  leads 
the  reader  to  a  religious  contemplation  of  the  great  facts  of  the 
Spirit's  working.  May  it  bring  to  all,  into  whose  hands  it  finds  its 
way  in  this  fresh  vehicle  of  a  new  language,  an  abiding  and  happy 
sense  of  rest  on  and  in  God  the  Holy  Ghost,  the  Author  and  Lord 
of  all  life,  to  whom  in  our  heart  of  hearts  we  may  pray: 

"  Veni,  Creator  Spiritus^ 
Spiritus  recreator, 
Tu  deus,  tu  datus  ccelitus, 
Tu  donutn,  tu  donator." 

Princeton  Theological  Seminary, 
April  23,  1900. 

*Thus  Beversluis,  op.  cit.,  speaks  of  it  as  Dr.  Kuyper's  bulky  book, 
which  "has  no  scientific  value,"  the  it  is  full  of  fine  passages  auO 
treats  the  subject  in  a  many-sided  way. 


THE 

WORK  OF  THE   HOLY  SPIRIT 


VOLUME  ONE 

The  Work  of  the   Holy  Spirit  in   the   Church 
as  a  Whole 


Ipirst  Cbapter, 
INTRODUCTION. 


I. 
Careful  Treatment  Required. 

"  Who  hath  also  given  unto  us  His  Holy 
Spirit." — I  Thess.  iv.  8. 

The  need  of  divine  guidance  is  never  more  deeply  felt  than  when 
one  undertakes  to  give  instruction  in  the  work  of  the  Holy  Spirit — 
so  unspeakably  tender  is  the  subject,  touching  the  inmost  secrets  of 
God  and  the  soul's  deepest  mysteries. 

We  shield  instinctively  the  intimacies  of  kindred  and  friends 
from  intrusive  observation,  and  nothing  hurts  the  sensitive  heart 
more  than  the  rude  exposure  of  that  which  should  not  be  unveiled, 
being  beautiful  only  in  the  retirement  of  the  home  circle.  Greater 
delicacy  befits  our  approach  to  the  holy  mystery  of  our  soul's  inti- 
macy with  the  living  God.  Indeed,  we  can  scarcely  find  words  to 
express  it,  for  it  touches  a  domain  far  below  the  social  life  where 
language  is  formed  and  usage  determines  the  meaning  of  words. 

Glimpses  of  this  life  have  been  revealed,  but  the  greater  part 
has  been  withheld.  It  is  like  the  life  of  Him  who  did  not  cry,  nor 
lift  up  nor  cause  His  voice  to  be  heard  in  the  street.  And  that 
which  was  heard  was  whispered  rather  than  spoken — a  soul-breath, 
soft  but  voiceless,  or  rather  a  radiating  of  the  soul's  own  blessed 
warmth.  Sometimes  the  stillness  has  been  broken  by  a  cry  or  a 
raptured  shout ;  but  there  has  been  mainly  a  silent  working,  a  min- 
istering of  stern  rebuke  or  of  sweet  comfort  by  that  wonderful 
Being  in  the  Holy  Trinity  whom  with  stammering  tongue  we  adore 
as  the  Holy  Spirit. 

Spiritual  experience  can  furnish  no  basis  for  instruction;  for 
such  experience  rests  on  that  which  took  place  in  our  own  soul. 


4  INTRODUCTION 

Certainly  this  has  value,  influence,  voice  in  the  matter.  But  what 
guarantees  correctness  and  fidelity  in  interpreting  such  experience? 
And  again,  how  can  we  distinguish  its  various  sources — from  our- 
selves, from  without,  or  from  the  Holy  Spirit?  The  twofold  ques- 
tion will  ever  hold :  Is  our  experience  shared  by  others,  and  may 
it  not  be  vitiated  by  what  is  in  us  sinful  and  spiritually  abnormal? 

Altho  there  is  no  subject  in  whose  treatment  the  soul  inclines 
more  to  draw  upon  its  own  experience,  there  is  none  that  demands 
more  that  our  sole  source  of  knowledge  be  the  Word  given  us  by 
the  Holy  Spirit.  After  that,  human  experience  may  be  heard,  at- 
testing what  the  lips  have  confessed ;  even  affording  glimpses  into 
the  Spirit's  blessed  mysteries,  which  are  unspeakable  and  of  which 
the  Scripture  therefore  does  not  speak.  But  this  can  not  be  the 
ground  of  instruction  to  others. 

The  Church  of  Christ  assuredly  presents  abundant  spiritual  utter- 
ance in  hymn  and  spiritual  song;  in  homilies  hortatory  and  conso- 
ling; in  sober  confession  or  outbursts  of  souls  wellnigh  overwhelmed 
by  the  floods  of  persecution  and  martyrdom.  But  even  this  can  not 
be  the  foundation  of  knowledge  concerning  the  work  of  the  Holy 
Spirit. 

The  following  reasons  will  make  this  apparent : 

First,  The  difficulty  of  discriminating  between  the  men  and 
women  whose  experience  we  consider  pure  and  healthy,  and  those 
whose  testimony  we  put  aside  as  strained  and  unhealthful.  Luther 
frequently  spoke  of  his  experience,  and  so  did  Caspar  Schwenkfeld, 
the  dangerous  fanatic.  But  what  is  our  warrant  for  approving  the 
utterances  of  the  great  Reformer  and  warning  against  those  of  the 
Silesian  nobleman?  For  evidently  the  testimony  of  the  two  men 
can  not  be  equally  true.  Luther  condemned  as  a  lie  what  Schwenk- 
feld commended  as  a  highly  spiritual  attainment. 

Second,  The  testimony  of  believers  presents  only  the  dim  out- 
lines of  the  work  of  the  Holy  Spirit.  Their  voices  are  faint  as  com- 
ing from  an  unknown  realm,  and  their  broken  speech  is  intelligible 
only  when  we,  initiated  by  the  Holy  Spirit,  can  interpret  it  from 
our  own  experience.  Otherwise  we  hear,  but  fail  to  understand; 
we  listen,  but  receive  no  information.  Only  he  that  hath  ears  can 
hear  what  the  Spirit  has  spoken  secretly  to  these  children  of  God. 

Third,  Among  those  Christian  heroes  whose  testimony  we  receive, 
some  speak  clearly,  truthfully,  forcibly,  others  confusedly  as  tho 
they  were  groping  in  the  dark.     Whence  the  difference?    Closer 


CAREFUL   TREATMENT   REQUIRED  $ 

examination  shows  that  the  former  have  borrowed  all  their  speech 
from  the  Word  of  God,  while  the  others  tried  to  add  to  it  something 
novel  that  promised  to  be  great,  but  proved  only  bubbles,  quickly 
dissolved,  leaving  no  trace. 

Last,  When,  on  the  other  hand,  in  this  treasury  of  Christian  testi- 
mony we  find  some  truth  better  developed,  more  clearly  expressed, 
more  aptly  illustrated  than  in  Scripture;  or,  in  other  words,  when 
the  ore  of  the  Sacred  Scripture  has  been  melted  in  the  crucible  of 
the  mortal  anguish  of  the  Church  of  God,  and  cast  into  more  per- 
manent forms,  then  we  always  discover  in  such  forms  certain  _/?!xv</ 
fyj>es.  Spiritual  life  expresses  itself  otherwise  among  the  eamest- 
souled  Lapps  and  Finns  than  among  the  light-hearted  French.  The 
rugged  Scotchman  pours  out  his  overflowing  heart  in  a  different  way 
from  that  of  the  emotional  German. 

Yea,  more  striking  still,  some  preacher  has  obtained  a  marked 
influence  upon  the  souls  of  men  of  a  certain  locality ;  an  exhorter 
has  got  hold  of  the  hearts  of  the  people ;  or  some  mother  in  Israel 
has  sent  forth  her  word  among  her  neighbors;  and  what  do  we  dis- 
cover? That  in  that  whole  region  we  meet  no  other  expressions  of 
spiritual  life  than  those  coined  by  that  preacher,  that  exhorter,  that 
mother  in  Israel.  This  shows  that  the  language,  the  very  words  and 
forms  in  which  the  soul  expresses  itself,  are  largely  borrowed,  and 
spring  but  rarely  from  one's  own  spiritual  consciousness ;  and  so  do 
not  insure  the  correctness  of  their  interpretation  of  the  soul's  ex- 
perience. 

And  when  such  heroes  as  Augustine,  Thomas,  Luther,  Calvin, 
and  others  present  us  something  strikingly  original,  then  we  en- 
counter difficulty  in  understanding  their  strong  and  vigorous  testi- 
mony. For  the  individuality  of  these  choice  vessels  is  so  marked 
that,  unless  sifted  and  tested,  we  can  not  fully  comprehend  them. 

All  this  shows  that  the  supply  of  knowledge  concerning  the  work 
of  the  Holy  Spirit,  which,  judging  superficially,  was  to  gush  forth 
from  the  deep  wells  of  Christian  experience,  yields  but  a  few  drops. 

Hence  for  the  knowledge  of  the  subject  we  must  return  to  that 
wondrous  Word  of  God  which  as  a  mystery  of  mysteries  lies  still 
uncomprehended  in  the  Church,  seemingly  dead  as  a  stone,  but  a 
stone  that  strikes  fire.  Who  has  not  seen  its  scintillating  sparks? 
Where  is  the  child  of  God  whose  heart  has  not  been  kindled  by  the 
fire  of  that  Word? 


6  INTRODUCTION 

But  Scripture  sheds  scant  light  on  the  work  of  the  Holy  Spirit. 
For  proof,  see  how  much  the  Old  Testament  says  of  the  Messiah 
and  how  comparatively  little  of  the  Holy  Spirit.  The  little  circle 
of  saints,  Mary,  Simeon,  Anna,  John,  who,  standing  in  the  vesti- 
bule of  the  New  Testament,  could  scan  the  horizon  of  the  Old 
Testament  revelation  with  a  glance — how  much  they  knew  of  the 
Person  of  the  Promised  Deliverer,  and  how  little  of  the  Holy 
Spirit!  Even  including  all  the  New  Testament  teachings,  how 
scanty  is  the  light  upon  the  work  of  the  Holy  Spirit  compared  with 
that  upon  the  work  of  Christ! 

And  this  is  quite  natural,  and  could  not  be  otherwise,  for  Christ 
is  the  Word  made  Flesh,  having  visible,  well-defined  form,  in  which 
we  recognize  our  own,  that  of  a  man,  whose  outlines  follow  the  di- 
rection of  our  own  being.  Christ  can  be  seen  and  heard ;  once  men's 
hands  could  even  handle  the  Word  of  Life.  But  the  Holy  Spirit  is 
entirely  different.  Of  Him  nothing  appears  in  visible  form;  He 
never  steps  out  from  the  intangible  void.  Hovering,  undefined, 
incomprehensible,  He  remains  a  mystery.  He  is  as  the  wind!  We 
hear  its  sound,  but  can  not  tell  whence  it  cometh  and  whither  it 
goeth.  Eye  can  not  see  Him,  ear  can  not  hear  Him,  much  less  the 
hand  handle  Him.  There  are,  indeed,  symbolic  signs  and  appear- 
ances: a  dove,  tongues  of  fire,  the  sound  of  a  rushing,  mighty 
wind,  a  breathing  from  the  holy  lips  of  Jesus,  a  laying  on  of  hands, 
a  speaking  with  foreign  tongfues.  But  of  all  this  nothing  remains ; 
nothing  lingers  behind,  not  even  the  trace  of  a  footprint.  And 
after  the  signs  have  disappeared,  His  being  remains  just  as  puz- 
zling, mysterious,  and  distant  as  ever.  So  almost  all  the  divine  in- 
struction concerning  the  Holy  Spirit  is  likewise  obscure,  intelligible 
only  so  far  as  He  makes  it  clear  to  the  eye  of  the  favored  soul. 

We  know  that  the  same  may  be  said  of  Christ's  work,  whose 
real  import  is  apprehended  solely  by  the  spiritually  enlightened, 
who  behold  the  eternal  wonders  of  the  Cross.  And  yet  what  won- 
derful fascination  is  there  even  for  a  little  child  in  the  story  of  the 
manger  in  Bethlehem,  of  the  Transfiguration,  of  Gabbatha  and 
Golgotha.  How  easily  can  we  interest  him  by  telling  of  the 
heavenly  Father  who  numbereth  the  hairs  of  his  head,  arrayeth  the 
lilies  of  the  field,  feedeth  the  sparrows  on  the  house-top.  But  is  it 
possible  so  to  engage  his  attention  for  the  Person  of  the  Holy 
Spirit?  The  same  is  true  of  the  unregenerate  :  they  are  not  unwill- 
ing to  speak  of  the  heavenly  Father ;  many  speak  feelingly  of  the 


CAREFUL   TREATMENT    REQUIRED  7 

Manger  and  of  the  Cross.  But  do  they  ever  speak  of  the  Holy 
Spirit?  They  can  not;  the  subject  has  no  hold  upon  them.  The 
Spirit  of  God  is  so  holily  sensitive  that  naturally  He  withdraws  from 
the  irreverent  gaze  of  the  uninitiated. 

Christ  has  fully  revealed  Himself.  It  was  the  love  and  divine 
compassion  of  the  Son.  But  the  Holy  Spirit  has  not  done  so.  It 
is  His  saving  faithfulness  to  meet  us  only  in  the  secret  place  of  His 
love. 

This  causes  another  difficulty.  Because  of  His  unrevealed  char- 
acter the  Church  has  taught  and  studied  the  Spirit's  work  much 
less  than  Christ's,  and  has  attained  much  less  clearness  in  its  theo- 
logical discussion.  We  might  say,  since  He  gave  the  Word  and 
illuminated  the  Church,  He  spoke  much  more  of  the  Father  and  the 
Son  than  of  Himself;  not  as  tho  it  had  been  selfish  to  speak  more 
of  Himself — for  sinful  selfishness  is  inconceivable  in  regard  to  Him — 
but  He  must  reveal  the  Father  and  the  Son  before  He  could  lead  us 
into  the  more  intimate  fellowship  with  Himself. 

This  is  the  reason  that  there  is  so  little  preaching  on  the  subject ; 
that  text-books  on  Systematic  Theology  rarely  treat  it  separately ; 
that  Pentecost  (the  feast  of  the  Holy  Spirit)  appeals  to  the  churches 
and  animates  them  much  less  than  Christmas  or  Easter,  that  un- 
happily many  ministers,  otherwise  faithful,  advance  many  erro- 
neous view^s  upon  this  subject — a  fact  of  which  they  and  the 
churches  seem  unconscious. 

Hence  special  discussion  of  the  theme  deserves  attention. 

That  it  requires  great  caution  and  delicate  treatment  need  not 
be  said.  It  is  our  prayer  that  the  discussion  may  evince  such  great 
care  and  caution  as  is  required,  and  that  our  Christian  readers  may 
receive  our  feeble  efforts  with  that  love  which  suffereth  long. 


II. 

Two  Standpoints. 

"  By  the  word  of  the  Lord  were  the  heavens 
made  ;  and  all  the  host  of  them  by  the 
breath  of  His  mouth." — Psalm  xxxiii.  6. 

The  work  of  the  Holy  Spirit  that  most  concerns  us  is  the  renew- 
ing of  the  elect  after  the  ijnage  of  God.  And  this  is  not  all.  It  even 
savors  of  selfishness  and  irreverence  to  make  this  so  prominent,  as 
tho  it  were  His  only  work. 

The  redeemed.are  not  sanctified  without  Christ,  who  is  made  to 
them  sanctification ;  hence  the  work  of  the  Spirit  must  embrace  the 
Incarnation  of  the  Word  and  the  work  of  the  Messiah.  But  the  work 
of  Messiah  involves  preparatory  working  in  the  Patriarchs  and 
Prophets  of  Israel,  and  later  activity  in  the  Apostles,  i.e.,  the  fore- 
shadowing of  the  Eternal  Word  in  Scripture.  Likewise  this  revela- 
tion involves  the  conditions  of  man's  nature  and  the  historical  de- 
velopment of  the  race;  hence  the  Holy  Spirit  is  concerned  in  the 
formation  of  the  human  mind  and  the  unfolding  of  the  spirit  of 
humanity.  Lastly,  man's  condition  depends  on  that  of  the  earth; 
the  influences  of  sun,  moon,  and  stars ;  the  elemental  motions ;  and 
no  less  on  the  actions  of  spirits,  be  they  angels  or  demons  from 
other  spheres.  Wherefore  the  Spirit's  work  must  touch  the  entire 
host  of  heaven  and  earth. 

To  avoid  a  mechanical  idea  of  His  work  as  tho  it  began  and 
ended  at  random,  like  piece-work  in  a  factory,  it  must  not  be  deter- 
mined nor  limited  till  it  extends  to  all  the  influences  that  affect  the 
sanctification  of  the  Church.  The  Holy  Spirit  is  God,  therefore 
sovereign ;  hence  He  can  not  depend  on  these  influences,  but  com- 
pletely controls  them.  For  this  He  must  be  able  to  operate  them ; 
so  His  work  must  be  honored  ///  all  the  host  of  heaven,  in  man  and  in 
his  history,  in  the  preparation  of  Scripture,  in  the  Incarnation  of  tJie 
Word,  in  the  salvation  of  the  elect. 

But  this  is  not  all.     The  final  salvation  of  the  elect  is  not  the 


TWO    STANDPOINTS  9 

last  link  in  the  chain  of  events.  The  hour  that  completes  their  re- 
demption will  be  the  hour  of  reckoning  for  all  creation.  The  Bib- 
lical revelation  of  Christ's  return  is  not  a  mere  pageant  closing  this 
preliminary  dispensation,  but  the  great  and  notable  event,  the  con- 
summation of  all  before,  the  catastrophe  whereby  all  that  is  shall 
receive  its  due. 

In  that  great  and  notable  day  the  elements  with  commotion  and 
awful  change  shall  be  combined  into  a  new  heaven  and  earth,  i.e., 
out  of  these  burning  elements  shall  emerge  the  real  beauty  and 
glory  of  God's  original  purpose.  Then  all  ill,  misery,  plague, 
every  thing  unholy,  every  demon,  every  spirit  turned  against  God 
shall  become  truly  hellish ;  that  is,  every  thing  ungodly  shall  re- 
ceive its  due,  i.e.,  a  world  in  which  sin  has  absolute  sway.  For 
what  is  hell  other  than  a  realm  in  which  unholiness  works  without 
restraint  in  body  and  soul?  Then  man's  personality  will  recover 
the  unity  destroyed  by  death,  and  God  will  grant  His  redeemed  the 
fruition  of  that  blest  hope  confessed  on  earth  amid  conflict  and 
affliction  in  the  words:  "  I  believe  in  the  resurrection  of  the  body." 
Then  shall  Christ  triumph  over  every  power  of  Satan,  sin,  and 
death,  and  thus  receive  His  due  as  the  Christ.  Then  wheat  and 
tares  shall  be  separated ;  the  mingling  shall  cease,  and  the  hope  of 
God's  people  become  sight ;  the  martyr  shall  be  in  rapture  and  his 
executioner  in  torment.  Then,  too,  shall  the  veil  be  drawn  from 
the  Jerusalem  that  is  above.  The  clouds  shall  be  dispelled  that 
kept  us  from  seeing  that  God  was  righteous  in  all  His  judgments; 
then  the  wisdom  and  glory  of  all  His  counsels  shall  be  vindicated 
both  by  Satan  and  his  own  in  the  pit,  and  by  Christ  and  His  re-, 
deemed  in  the  city  of  our  God,  and  the  Lord  be  glorious  in  all  His 
works. 

Thus  radiating  from  the  sanctification  of  the  redeemed,  we  see 
the  work  of  the  Spirit  embracing  in  past  ages  the  Incarnation,  the 
preparation  of  Scripture,  the  forming  of  man  and  the  universe ;  and, 
extending  into  the  ages,  the  Lord's  return,  the  final  judgment,  and 
that  last  cataclysm  that  shall  separate  heaven  from  hell  forever. 

This  standpoint  precludes  our  viewing  the  work  of  the  Spirit 
from  that  of  the  salvation  of  the  redeemed.  Our  spiritual  horizon 
widens;  for  the  chief  thing  is  not  that  the  elect  be  fully  saved,  but 
that  God  be  justified  in  all  His  works  and  glorified  through  judgment. 
To  all  who  acknowledge  that  "  He  that  believeth  not  on  the  Son 

1 


lo  INTRODUCTION 

shall  not  see  life,  but  the  wrath  of  God  abiding  on  him,"  this  must 
be  the  only  true  standpoint. 

If  we  subscribe  this  awful  statement,  not  having  lost  our  way  in 
the  labyrinth  of  a  so-called  conditional  immortality,  which  actually 
annihilates  man,  then  how  can  we  dream  of  a  state  of  perfect  bliss 
for  the  elect  as  long  as  the  lost  ones  are  being  tormented  by  the 
worm  that  dieth  not?  Is  there  no  more  love  or  compassion  in  our 
hearts?  Can  we  fancy  ourselves  for  a  single  moment  enjoying 
heaven's  bliss  while  the  fire  is  not  quenched  and  no  lighted  torch  is 
carried  into  the  outer  darkness? 

To  make  the  bliss  of  the  elect  the  final  end  of  all  things  while 
Satan  still  roars  in  the  bottomless  pit  is  to  annihilate  the  very 
thought  of  such  bliss.  Love  suffers  not  only  when  a  human  being 
is  in  pain,  but  even  when  an  animal  is  in  distress ;  how  much  more 
when  an  angel  gnashes  his  teeth  in  torture,  and  that  angel  beautiful 
and  glorious  as  Satan  was  before  his  fall.  And  yet  the  very  men- 
tion of  Satan  unconsciously  lifts  from  our  hearts  the  burden  of 
fellow  pain,  suffering,  and  compassion;  for  we  feel  immediately 
that  the  knowledge  of  Satan's  suffering  in  the  pit  does  not  in  the 
least  appeal  to  our  compassion.  On  the  contrary,  to  believe  that 
Satan  exists  but  not  in  utter  misery  were  a  wound  to  our  profound 
sense  of  justice. 

And  this  is  the  point :  to  conceive  of  the  blessedness  of  a  soul 
not  in  absolute  union  with  Christ  is  unholy  madness.  No  one  but 
Christ  is  blessed,  and  no  man  can  be  blessed  but  he  who  is  vitally 
one  with  Christ — Christ  in  him  and  he  in  Christ.  Equally  it  is  un- 
holy madness  to  conceive  of  man  or  angel  lost  in  hell  unless  he  has 
identified  himself  with  Satan,  having  become  morally  one  with  him. 
The  conception  of  a  soul  in  hell  not  morally  one  with  Satan  is  the 
most  appalling  cruelty  from  which  every  noble  heart  recoils  with 
horror. 

Every  child  of  God  is  furious  at  Satan.  Satan  is  simply  unbear- 
able to  him.  In  his  inward  man  (however  unfaithful  his  nature 
may  be)  there  is  bitter  enmity,  implacable  hatred  against  Satan. 
Hence  it  satisfies  our  holiest  conscience  to  know  that  Satan  is  in  the 
bottomless  pit.  To  encourage  a  plea  for  him  in  the  heart  were 
treason  against  God.  Sharp  agony  may  pierce  his  soul  like  a  dag- 
ger for  the  unspeakable  depth  of  his  fall,  yet  as  Satan,  author  of  all 
that  is  demoniac  and  fiendish,  who  has  bruised  the  heel  of  the  Son 
of  God,  he  can  never  move  our  hearts. 


TWO    STANDPOINTS  il 

Why?  What  is  the  sole,  deep  reason  why  as  regards  Satan  com- 
passion is  dead,  hatred  is  right,  and  love  would  be  blameworthy? 
Is  it  not  that  we  never  can  look  upon  Satan  without  remembering 
that  he  is  the  adversary  of  our  God,  the  mortal  enemy  of  our 
Christ?  Were  it  not  for  that  we  might  weep  for  him.  But  now 
our  allegiance  to  God  tells  us  that  such  weeping  would  be  treason 
against  our  King. 

Only  by  measuring  the  end  of  things  by  what  belongs  to  God 
can  we  stand  right  in  this  matter.  We  can  view  the  matter  of  the 
redeemed  and  the  lost  from  the  right  standpoint  only  when  we 
subordinate  both  to  that  which  is  highest,  i.e.,  the  glory  of  God. 
Measured  by  Him,  we  can  conceive  of  the  redeemed  in  a  state  of 
bliss,  enthroned,  yet  not  in  danger  of  pride ;  since  it  was  and  is  and 
ever  shall  be  by  His  sovereign  grace  alone.  But  also  measured  by 
Him,  we  can  think  of  those  identified  with  Satan,  joyless  and  mis- 
erable, without  once  hurting  the  sense  of  justice  in  the  heart  of  the 
upright;  for  to  be  mercifully  inclined  toward  Satan  is  impossible  to 
him  who  loves  God  with  love  deep  and  everlasting.  And  such  i.s 
the  love  of  the  redeemed. 

Considered  from  this  far  superior  standpoint,  the  work  of  the 
Holy  Spirit  necessarily  assumes  a  different  aspect.  Now  we  can 
no  more  say  that  His  work  is  the  sanctification  of  the  elect,  with  all 
that  precedes  and  follows;  but  we  confess  that  it  is  the  vindication 
of  the  counsel  of  God  with  all  that  pertains  thereto,  from  the  creation 
and  throughout  the  ages,  unto  the  coming  of  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ, 
and  onward  throughout  eternitj',  both  in  heaven  and  in  hell. 

The  difference  between  these  two  viewpoints  can  easily  be  ap- 
preciated. According  to  the  first,  the  work  of  the  Holy  Spirit  is 
only  subordinate.  Unfortunately  man  is  fallen;  hence  he  is  dis- 
eased. Since  he  is  impure  and  unholy,  even  subject  to  death  it- 
self, the  Holy  Spirit  must  purify  and  sanctify  him.  This  implies, 
first,  that  had  man  not  sinned  the  Holy  Spirit  would  have  had  no 
work.  Second,  that  when  the  work  of  sanctification  is  finished.  His 
activity  will  cease.  According  to  the  correct  viewpoint,  the  work 
of  the  Spirit  is  continuous  and  perpetual,  beginni.ng  with  the  crea- 
tion, continuing  throughout  eternity,  begun  even  before  sin  first 
appeared. 

It  may  be  objected  that  some  time  ago  the  author  emphatically 
opposed  the  idea  that  Christ  would  have  come  into  the  world  even 


12  INTRODUCTION 

if  sin  had  not  entered  in;  and  that  now  he  affirms  with  equal  em- 
phasis that  the  Holy  Spirit  would  have  wrought  in  the  world  and 
in  man  if  the  latter  had  remained  sinless. 

The  answer  is  very  simple.  If  Christ  had  not  appeared  in  His 
capacity  of  Messiah,  He  would  have  had,  as  the  Son,  the  Second 
Person  in  the  Godhead,  His  own  divine  sphere  of  action,  seeing 
that  all  things  consist  through  Him.  On  the  contrary,  if  the  work 
of  the  Holy  Spirit  were  confined  to  the  sanctification  of  the  re- 
deemed, He  would  be  absolutely  inactive  if  sin  had  not  entered 
into  the  world.  And  since  this  would  be  equal  to  a  denial  of  His 
Godhead,  it  can  not  for  a  moment  be  tolerated. 

By  occupying  this  superior  viewpoint,  we  apply  to  the  work 
of  the  Holy  Spirit  the  fundamental  principle  of  the  Reformed 
churches :  "  That  all  things  must  be  measured  by  the  glory  of 
God." 


III. 

The  Indwelling-  and  Outgoing  Works  of  God. 

"And  all  the  host  of  them  by  the  breath 
of  His  mouth." — Psalm  xxxiii.  6. 

The  thorough  and  clear-headed  theologians  of  the  most  flourish- 
ing periods  of  the  Church  used  to  distinguish  between  the  indwell- 
ing and  outgoing  works  of  God. 

The  same  distinction  exists  to  some  extent  in  nature.  The  lion 
watching  his  prey  differs  widely  from  the  lion  resting  among  his 
whelps.  See  the  blazing  eye,  the  lifted  head,  the  strained  muscles 
and  panting  breath.  One  can  see  that  the  crouching  lion  is  labor- 
ing intensely.  Yet  the  act  is  now  only  in  contemplation.  The 
heat  and  the  ferment,  the  nerve-tension  are  all  within.  A  terrible 
deed  is  about  to  be  done,  but  it  is  still  under  restraint,  until  he 
pounces  with  thundering  roar  upon  his  unsuspecting  victim,  bury- 
ing his  fangs  deep  into  the  quivering  flesh. 

We  find  the  same  distinction  in  finer  form  among  men.  When  a 
storm  has  raged  at  sea,  and  the  fate  of  the  absent  fishing-smacks 
that  are  expected  to  return  with  the  tide  is  uncertain,  a  fisher- 
man's awe-stricken  wife  sits  on  the  brow  of  the  sand-hill  watching 
and  waiting  in  speechless  suspense.  As  she  waits,  her  heart  and 
soul  labor  in  prayer;  the  nerves  are  tense,  the  blood  runs  fast,  and 
breathing  is  almost  suspended.  Yet  there  is  no  outward  act;  only 
labor  within.  But  on  the  safe  return  of  the  smacks,  when  she  sees 
her  own,  her  burdened  heart  finds  relief  in  a  cry  of  joy. 

Or,  taking  examples  from  the  more  ordinary  walks  of  life,  com- 
pare the  student,  the  scholar,  the  inventor  thinking  out  his  new 
invention,  the  architect  forming  his  plans,  the  general  studying  his 
opportunities,  the  sturdy  sailor  nimbly  climbing  the  mast  of  his 
ship,  or  yonder  blacksmith  raising  the  sledge  to  strike  the  glowing 
iron  upon  the  anvil  with  concentrated  muscular  force.  Judging 
superficially,  one  would  say  the  blacksmith  and  sailor  work,  but 
the  men  of  learning  are  idle.     Yet  he  that  looks  beneath  the  sur- 


t4  INTRODUCTION 

face  knows  better  than  this.  For  if  those  men  perform  no  apparent 
manual  labor,  they  work  with  brain,  nerve,  and  blood;  yet  since 
those  organs  are  more  delicate  than  hand  or  foot,  their  invisible, 
indwelling  work  is  much  more  exhausting.  With  all  their  labor 
the  blacksmith  and  sailor  are  pictures  of  health,  while  the  men  of 
mental  force,  apparently  idle  among  their  folios,  are  pale  from  ex- 
haustion, their  vitality  being  almost  consumed  by  their  intense 
application. 

Applying  this  distinction  without  its  human  limitations  to  the 
works  of  the  Lord,  we  find  that  the  outgoing  works  of  God  had 
their  beginning  when  God  created  the  heavens  and  the  earth;  and 
that  before  that  moment  which  marks  the  birth  of  time,  nothing 
existed  but  God  working  within  Himself.  Hence  this  twofold 
operation :  The  first,  externally  manifest,  known  to  us  in  the  acts 
of  creating,  upholding,  and  directing  all  things — acts  that,  compared 
to  those  of  eternity,  seem  to  have  begun  but  yesterday ;  for  what  are 
thousands  of  years  in  the  presence  of  the  eternal  ages?  '^\iq  second, 
behind  and  underneath  the  first — an  operation  not  begun  nor  ended, 
but  eternal  like  Himself;  deeper,  richer,  fuller,  yet  not  manifested, 
hidden  within  Him,  which  we  therefore  designate  indwelling. 

Altho  these  two  operations  can  scarcely  be  separated — for  there 
never  was  one  manifest  without  which  was  not  first  completed  ^vith- 
in — yet  the  difference  is  strongly  marked  and  easily  recognized. 
The  indwelling  works  of  God  are  from  eternity,  the  outgoing  belong 
to  ti/ne.  The  former  precede,  the  latter  fiollow.  The  foundation  of 
that  which  becomes  visible  lies  in  that  which  remains  invisible.  The 
light  itself  is  hidden,  it  is  the  radiation  only  that  appears. 

The  Scripture,  speaking  of  the  indwelling  works  of  God.'says: 
"  The  counsel  of  the  Lord  standeth  for  ever,  and  the  thoughts  of 
His  heart  to  all  generations"  (Psalm  xxiii.  1 1).  Since  in  God  heart 
and  thought  have  no  separate  existence,  but  His  undivided  Essence 
thinks,  feels,  and  wills,  we  learn  from  this  significant  passage  that 
the  Being  of  God  works  in  Himself  from  all  eternity.  This  answers 
the  oft-repeated  and  foolish  question,  "  What  did  God  do  before 
He  created  the  universe?"  which  is  as  unreason.ing  as  to  ask 
what  the  thinker  did  before  he  expressed  his  thoughts,  or  the 
architect  before  he  built  the  house ! 

God's  indwelling  works,  which  are  from  everlasting  to  everlast- 
ing, are  not  insignificant,  but  surpass  His  outgoing  works  in  depth 
and  strength  as  the  student's  thinking  and  the  sufferer's  anguish 


INDWELLING  AND  OUTGOING  WORKS  OF  GOD     15 

surpass  their  strongest  utterances  in  intensity.  "  Could  I  but 
weep,"  says  the  afflicted  one,  "  how  much  more  easily  could  I  bear 
my  son-ow!"  And  what  are  tears  but  the  outward  expression  of 
grief,  relieving  the  pain  and  strain  of  the  heart?  Or  think  of  the 
child-^^ar/Vi!^  of  the  mother  before  delivery.  It  is  said  of  the  de- 
cree that  it  hath  "  brought  forth"  (Zeph.  ii.  2),  which  signifies  that 
the  phenomenon  is  only  the  result  of  preparation  hidden  from  the 
eye,  but  more  real  than  the  production,  and  without  which  there 
would  be  nothing  to  bring  forth. 

Thus  the  expression  of  our  earlier  theologians  is  justified,  and 
the  difference  between  the  indwelling  and  the  outgoing  works  is 
patent. 

Accordingly  the  indwelling  works  of  God  are  the  activities  of  His 
Being,  without  the  distinction  of  Persons;  while  His  outgoing 
works  admit  and  to  some  extent  demand  this  distinction:  e.g., 
the  common  and  well-known  distinguishing  of  the  Father's  work 
as  that  of  creation,  the  Son's  as  that  of  redemption,  and  the  Holy 
Spirit's  as  that  of  sanctification  relates  only  to  God's  outgoing 
works.  While  these  operations — creation,  redemption,  and  sanctifi- 
cation— are  hidden  in  the  thoughts  of  His  heart.  His  counsel,  and  His 
Being,  it  is  Father,  Son,  and  Holy  Ghost  who  creates,  Father,  Son, 
and  Holy  Ghost  who  redeems.  Father,  Son,  and  Holy  Ghost  who 
sanctifies,  without  any  division  or  distinction  of  activities.  The 
rays  of  light  hidden  in  the  sun  are  indivisible  and  indistinguishable 
until  they  radiate ;  so  in  the  Being  of  God  the  indwelling  working 
is  one  and  undivided ;  His  personal  glories  remain  invisible  until 
revealed  in  His  outgoing  works.  A  stream  is  one  until  it  falls  over 
the  precipice  and  divides  into  many  drops.  So  is  the  life  of  God 
one  and  undivided  while  hidden  within  Himself;  but  when  it  is 
poured  out  into  created  things  its  colors  stand  revealed.  As,  there- 
fore, the  indwelling  works  of  the  Holy  Spirit  are  common  to  the 
three  Persons  of  the  Godhead,  we  do  not  discuss  them,  but  treat 
only  those  operations  that  bear  the  personal  marks  of  His  outgoing 
works. 

But  we  do  not  mean  to  teach  that  the  distinction  of  the  personal 
attributes  of  Father,  Son,  and  Holy  Ghost  did  not  exist  in  the  divine 
Being,  but  originated  only  in  His  outward  activities. 

The  distinction  of  Father,  Son,  and  Holy  Spirit  is  the  divine 


i6  INTRODUCTION 

characteristic  of  the  Eternal  Being,  His  mode  of  subsistence,  His 
deepest  foundation ;  to  think  of  Him  without  that  distinction  would 
be  absurd.  Indeed,  in  the  divine  and  eternal  economy  of  Father, 
Son,  and  Holy  Spirit,  each  of  the  divine  Persons  lives  and  loves  and 
lauds  according  to  His  own  personal  characteristics,  so  that  the 
Father  remains  Father  toward  the  Son,  and  the  Son  remains  Son 
toward  the  Father,  and  the  Holy  Spirit  proceeds  from  both. 

It  is  right  to  ask  how  this  agrees  with  the  statement  made  above, 
that  the  indwelling  works  of  God  belong,  without  distinction  of 
Persons,  to  Father,  Son,  and  Holy  Ghost,  and  are  therefore  the 
works  of  the  divine  Being.  The  answer  is  found  in  the  careful  dis- 
tinction of  the  twofold  nature  of  the  indwelling  works  of  God. 

Some  operations  in  the  divine  Being  are  destined  to  be  revealed 
in  time ;  others  will  remain  forever  unrevealed.  The  former  con- 
cern the  creation ;  the  latter,  only  the  relations  of  Father,  Son,  and 
Holy  Spirit.  Take,  for  instance,  election  and  eternal  generation. 
Both  are  indwelling  operations  of  God,  but  with  marked  difference. 
The  Father's  eternal  generation  of  the  Son  can  never  be  revealed, 
but  must  ever  be  the  mystery  of  the  Godhead;  while  election 
belongs  as  decree  to  the  indwelling  works  of  God,  yet  is  destined 
in  the  fulness  of  time  to  become  manifest  in  the  call  of  the  elect. 

Regarding  the  permanetitiy  indwelling  works  of  God  that  do  not 
relate  to  the  creature,  but  flow  from  the  mutual  relation  of  the 
Father,  the  Son,  and  the  Holy  Spirit,  the  distinctive  characteristics 
of  the  three  Persons  must  be  kept  in  view.  But  with  those  that 
are  to  become  manifest,  relating  to  the  creature,  this  distinction 
disappears.  Here  the  rule  applies  that  all  indwelling  works  are 
activities  of  the  divine  Being  without  distinction  of  Person's.  To 
illustrate :  In  the  home  there  are  two  kinds  of  activities  one  flow- 
ing from  the  mutual  relation  of  parents  and  children,  another  per- 
taining to  the  social  life.  In  the  former  the  distinction  between 
parents  and  children  is  never  ignored ;  in  the  latter,  if  the  relation 
be  normal,  neither  the  father  nor  the  children  act  alone,  but  the 
fajnily  as  a  whole.  Even  so  in  the  holy,  mysterious  economy  of  the 
divine  Being,  every  operation  of  the  Father  upon  the  Son  and  of 
both  upon  the  Holy  Spirit  is  distinct ;  but  in  every  outgoing  act  it 
is  always  the  one  divine  Being,  the  thoughts  of  whose  heart  are 
for  all  His  creatures.  On  that  account  the  natural  man  knows  no 
more  than  that  he  has  to  do  with  a  God. 

The  Unitarians,  denying  the  Holy  Trinity,  have  never  reached 


INDWELLING  AND  OUTGOING  WORKS  OF  GOD     17 

anything  higher  than  that  which  can  be  seen  by  the  light  of  the 
darkened  human  understanding.  We  often  discover  that  many 
baptized  with  water  but  not  with  the  Holy  Spirit  speak  of  the 
Triune  God  because  others  do.  For  themselves  they  know  only 
that  He  is  God.  This  is  why  the  discriminating  knowledge  of  the 
Triune  God  can  not  illuminate  the  soul  until  the  light  of  redemp- 
tion shines  within,  and  the  Day-star  arises  in  man's  heart.  Our 
Confession  correctly  expresses  this,  saying:  "All  this  we  know  as 
well  from  the  testimony  of  Holy  Writ  as  from  their  operations,  and 
chiefly  by  those  we  feel  in  ourselves"  rart.  ix.). 
2 


IV. 

The  Work  of  the  Holy  Spirit  Distingfuished. 

"And  the  Spirit  of  God  moved  upon  the 
face  of  the  waters." — Gen.  i.  2. 

What,  in  general,  is  the  work  of  the  Holy  Spirit  as  distinguished 
from  that  of  the  Father  and  of  the  Son? 

Not  that  every  believer  needs  to  know  these  distinctions  in  all 
particulars.  The  existence  of  faith  does  not  depend  upon  intellec- 
tual distinctions.  The  main  question  is  not  whether  we  can  dis- 
tinguish the  work  of  the  Father  from  that  of  the  Son  and  of  the 
Holy  Spirit,  but  whether  we  have  experienced  their  gracious  opera- 
tions.    The  root  of  the  matter,  not  the  natue,  decides. 

Must  we  then  slightly  value  a  clear  understanding  of  sacred 
things?  Shall  we  deem  it  superfluous  and  call  its  great  matters 
hair-splitting  questions?  By  no  means.  The  human  mind  searches 
every  department  of  life.  Scientists  deem  it  an  honor  to  spend 
their  lives  in  analyzing  the  minutest  plants  and  insects,  describing 
every  particular,  naming  every  member  of  the  dissected  organism. 
Their  work  is  never  called  "hair-splittings,"  but  is  distinguished 
as  "  scientific  research."  And  rightly  so,  for  without  differentiation 
there  can  be  no  insight,  and  without  insight  there  can  bfe  no 
thorough  acquaintance  with  the  subject.  Why,  then,  call  this  same 
desire  unprofitable  when  it  directs  the  attention  not  to  the  creature, 
but  to  the  Lord  God  our  Creator? 

Can  there  be  any  worthier  object  of  mental  application  than  the 
eternal  God?  Is  it  right  and  proper  to  insist  upon  correct  discrimi- 
nation in  every  other  sphere  of  knowledge,  and  yet  regarding  the 
knowledge  of  God  to  be  satisfied  with  generalities  and  confused 
views?  Has  God  not  invited  us  to  share  the  intellectual  knowledge 
of  His  Being?  Has  He  not  given  us  His  Word?  And  does  not  the 
Word  illumine  the  mysteries  of  His  Being,  His  attributes.  His  per- 
fections, His  virtues,  and  the  mode  of  His  subsistence?  If  we 
aspired  to  penetrate  into  things  too  high  for  us,  or  to  unveil  the 


WORK  OF  THE  HOLY  SPIRIT  DISTINGUISHED     19 

unrevealed,  reverence  would  require  us  to  resist  such  audacity. 
But  since  we  aim  in  godly  fear  to  listen  to  Scripture,  and  to  receive 
the  proffered  knowledge  of  the  deep  things  of  God,  there  can  be 
no  room  for  objection.  We  would  say  rather  to  those  who  frown 
upon  such  effort :  "  Ye  can  discern  the  face  of  the  sky,  but  ye  can 
not  discern  the  face  of  your  Father  in  heaven." 

Hence  the  question  concerning  the  work  of  the  Holy  Spirit  as 
distinguished  from  that  of  the  Father  and  of  the  Son  is  quite  legiti- 
mate and  necessary. 

It  is  deplorable  that  many  of  God's  children  have  confused  con- 
ceptions in  this  respect.  They  can  not  distinguish  the  works  of 
the  Father  and  of  the  Son  and  of  the  Holy  Spirit.  Even  in  prayer 
they  use  the  divine  names  indiscriminately.  Altho  the  Holy  Spirit 
is  explicitly  called  the  Comforter,  yet  they  seek  comfort  mostly 
from  the  Father  or  the  Son,  unable  to  say  why  and  what  in  sense 
the  Holy  Spirit  is  especially  called  Comforter. 

The  early  Church  already  felt  the  need  of  clear  and  exact  dis- 
tinctions in  this  matter;  and  the  great  thinkers  and  Christian  phi- 
losophers whom  God  gave  to  the  Church,  especially  the  Eastern 
Fathers,  expended  their  best  powers  largely  upon  this  subject. 
They  saw  very  clearly  that  unless  the  Church  learned  to  distinguish 
the  works  of  the  Father,  Son,  and  Holy  Ghost,  its  confession  of  the 
Holy  Trinity  could  be  but  a  dead  sound.  Compelled  not  by  love 
of  subtleties,  but  by  the  necessity  of  the  Church,  they  undertook  to 
study  these  distinctions.  And  God  let  heretics  vex  His  Church  so 
as  to  arouse  the  mind  by  conflict,  and  to  lead  it  to  search  God's 
Word. 

So  we  are  not  pioneers  exploring  a  new  field.  The  writing  of 
these  articles  can  so  impress  those  alone  who  are  ignorant  of  the 
historical  treasures  of  the  Church.  We  propose  simply  to  cause 
the  light,  which  for  so  many  ages  shed  its  clear  and  comforting 
rays  upon  the  Church,  to  reenter  the  windows,  and  thus  by  deeper 
knowledge  to  increase  its  inward  strength. 

We  begin  with  the  general  distinction:  That  in  every  work 
effected  by  Father,  Son,  and  Holy  Ghost  in  common,  the  power  to 
bring  forth  proceeds  from  the  Father;  the  power /^  arrange  from 
the  Son ;  the  power  to  perfect  from  the  Holy  Spirit. 

In  I  Cor.  viii.  6,  St.  Paul  teaches  that :  "  There  is  but  one  God 
the  Father,  of  wJwm  are  all  things,  and  one  Lord  Jesus  Christ  l^ 


20  INTRODUCTION 

who7n  are  all  things."  Here  we  have  two  prepositions:  of  whom, 
and  by  whom.  But  in  Rom.  xi.  38  he  adds  another:  "  For  of  Him 
and  through  Him  and  to  Him  are  all  things." 

The  operation  here  spoken  of  is  threefold :  first,  that  by  which 
all  things  are  originated  {of  Him) ;  second,  that  by  which  all  things 
consist  {through  Him) ;  third,  that  by  which  all  things  attain  their 
final  destiny  {to  Him).  In  connection  with  this  clear,  apostolic 
distinction  the  great  teachers  of  the  Church,  after  the  fifth  century, 
used  to  distinguish  the  operations  of  the  Persons  of  the  Trinity  by 
saying  that  the  operation  whereby  all  things  originated  proceeds 
from  the  Father ;  that  whereby  they  received  consistency  from  the 
Son;  and  that  whereby  they  were  led  to  their  destiny  from  the 
Holy  Spirit. 

These  clear  thinkers  taught  that  this  distinction  was  in  line  with 
that  of  the  Persons.  Thus  the  Father  is  father.  He  generates  the 
Son.  And  the  Holy  Spirit  proceeds  from  the  Father  and  the  Son. 
Hence  the  peculiar  feature  of  the  First  Person  is  evidently  that  He 
is  the  Source  and  Fountain  not  only  of  the  material  creation,  but 
of  its  very  conception ;  of  all  that  was  and  is  and  ever  shall  be. 
The  peculiarity  of  the  Second  Person  lies  evidently  not  in  genera- 
ting, but  in  being  generated.  One  is  a  son  by  being  generated. 
Hence  since  all  things  proceed  from  the  Father,  nothing  can 
proceed  from  the  Son.  The  source  of  all  things  is  not  in  the  Son. 
Yet  He  adds  a  work  of  creation  to  that  which  is  coming  into  exist- 
ence ;  for  the  Holy  Spirit  proceeds  also  from  Him ;  but  not  from 
Him  alone,  but  from  the  Father  and  the  Son,  and  that  in  such  a 
way  that  the  procession  from  the  Son  is  due  to  His  sameness  of 
essence  with  the  Father. 

The  Scripture  agrees  with  this  in  teaching  that  the  Father  cre- 
ated all  things  by  the  Son,  and  that  without  Him  was  nothing  made 
that  was  made.  For  the  difference  between  "created  by"  and 
"  created  from,"  we  refer  to  Col.  i.  17 :  "  By  Him  all  things  consist," 
i.e.,  by  Him  they  hold  together.  Heb.  i.  3  is  even  clearer,  saying 
that  the  Son  upholds  all  things  by  the  Word  of  His  po^ver.  This 
shows  that  as  the  essentials  of  the  creature's  existence  proceed 
from  the  Father  as  Fountain  of  all,  so  the  forming,  putting  together, 
and  arranging  of  its  constituents  are  the  proper  work  of  the  Son. 

If  we  were  reverently  to  compare  God's  work  to  that  of  man  we 
would  say :  A  king  proposes  to  build  a  palace.  This  requires  not 
only  material,    labor,  and  plans,    but  also  putting  together  and 


WORK  OF  THE  HOLY  SPIRIT  DISTINGUISHED     21 

arranging  of  the  materials  according  to  the  plans.  The  king  fur- 
nishes the  materials  and  plans,  the  builder  constructs  the  palace. 
Who,  then,  built  it?  Neither  the  king  nor  the  builder  alone;  but 
the  builder  erects  it  out  of  the  royal  treasure. 

This  expresses  the  relation  between  Father  and  Son  in  this 
respect  as  far  as  human  relations  can  illustrate  the  divine.     In  the 
construction   of   the    universe    two    operations  appear:   first,   the 
causative,  which  produces  the  materials,  forces,  and  plans;  second, 
the  constructive,  which  with  these  forces  forms  and  orders  the  mate- 
rials  according  to  the  plan.     And  as  the  first  proceeds  from   the 
Father,  so  does  the  second  from  the  Son.     The  Father  is  the  Royal 
Source  of  the  necessary  materials  and  powers;  and  the  Son  as  the 
Builder  constructs  all  things  with  them  according  to  the  counsel 
of  God       If  the  Father  and  the  Son  existed  independently,  such 
cooperation  would  be  impossible.     But  since  the  Father  generates 
the  Son,  and  by  virtue  of  that  generation  the  Son   contams  the 
entire  Being  of  the  Father,  there  can  be  no  division  of  Being,  and 
only  the  distinction  of  Persons  remains.     For  the  entire  wisdom 
and  power  whereby  the  Son  gives  consistency  to  all  is  generated  m 
Him  by  the  Father;    while  the  counsel  which   designed  all  is  a 
determination  by  the  Father  of  that  divine  wisdom  which  He  as 
Father  generates  in  the  Son.     For  the  Son  is  forever  the  effulgence 
of  the  Father's  glory,  and  the  express  image  of  His  Person-Heb. 

This  does  not  complete  the  work  of  creation.  The  creature  is 
made  not  simply  to  exist  or  to  adorn  some  niche  in  the  universe 
like  a  statue.  Rather  was  everything  created  with  a  purpose  and 
a  destiny;  and  our  creation  will  be  complete  only  when  we  have 
become  what  God  designed.  Hence  Gen.  ii.  3  says:  "God  rested 
from  all  His  work  which  He  had  created  to  make  it  perfect"  (Dutch 
translation).  Thus  to  lead  the  creature  to  its  destiny,  to  cause  it 
to  develop  according  to  its  nature,  to  make  it  perfect,  is  the  proper 
work  of  the  Holy  Spirit. 

t 


SeconC)  Cbapter. 
THE  CREATION. 


V. 
The  Principle  of  Life  in  the  Creature. 

"  By  His  Spirit  He  hath  garnished  the 
heavens;  His  hand  hath  formed  the 
crooked  serpent."— /c7<5  xxvi.  13. 

We  have  seen  that  the  work  of  the  Holy  Spirit  consists  in  lead- 
ing all  creation  to  its  destiny,  the  final  purpose  of  which  is  the  glory 
of  God.  However,  God's  glory  in  creation  appears  in  various 
degrees  and  ways.  An  insect  and  a  star,  the  mildew  on  the  wall 
and  the  cedar  on  Lebanon,  a  common  laborer  and  a  man  like 
Augustine,  are  all  the  creatures  of  God;  yet  how  dissimilar  they 
are,  and  how  varied  their  ways  and  degrees  of  glorifying  God. 

Let  us  therefore  illustrate  the  statement  that  the  glory  of  God  is 
the  ultimate  end  of  every  creature.  Comparing  the  glory  of  God 
to  that  of  an  earthly  king,  it  is  evident  that  nothing  can  be  indiffer- 
ent to  that  glory.  The  building  material  of  his  palace,  its  furni- 
ture, even  the  pavement  before  its  gate,  either  enhance  or  diminish 
the  royal  splendor.  Much  more,  however,  is  the  king  honored  by 
the  persons  of  his  household,  each  in  his  degree,  from  the  master 
of  ceremonies  to  his  prime  minister.  Yet  his  highest  glory  is  his 
family  of  sons  and  daughters,  begotten  of  his  own  blood,  trained 
by  his  wisdom,  animated  by  his  ideals,  one  with  him  in  the  plans, 
purposes,  and  spirit  of  his  life.  Applying  this  in  all  reverence  to 
the  court  of  the  King  of  heaven,  it  is  evident  that  while  every 
flower  and  star  enhance  His  glory,  the  lives  of  angels  and  men  are 
of  much  greater  significance  to  His  Kingdom;  and  again,  while 
among  the  latter  they  are  most  closely  related  to  His  glory  whom 
He  has  placed  in  positions  of  authority,  nearest  of  all  are  the 
children  begotten  by  His  Spirit,  and  admitted  to  the  secret  of  His 


THE  PRINCIPLE  OF  LIFE  IN  THE  CREATURE     23 

pavilion.  We  conclude,  then,  that  God's  glory  is  reflected  most  in 
His  children ;  and  since  no  man  can  be  His  child  unless  he  is  begot- 
ten of  Him,  we  confess  that  His  glory  is  most  apparent  in  His  elect 
or  in  His  Church. 

His  glory  is  not,  however,  confined  to  these ;  for  they  are  related 
to  the  whole  race,  and  live  among  all  nations  and  peoples  with 
whom  they  share  the  common  lot.  We  neither  may  nor  can  sepa- 
rate their  spiritual  life  from  their  national,  social,  and  domestic  life. 
And  since  all  differences  of  national,  social,  and  domestic  life  are 
caused  by  climate  and  atmosphere,  meat  and  drink,  rain  and 
drought,  plant  and  insect — in  a  word,  by  the  whole  economy  of  this 
material  world,  including  comet  and  meteor,  it  is  evident  that  all 
these  affect  the  outcome  of  things  and  are  related  to  the  glory  of 
God.  Hence  as  connected  with  the  task  of  leading  creation  to  its 
destiny,  the  whole  universe  confronts  the  mind  as  a  mighty  unit 
organically  related  to  the  Church  as  the  shell  to  the  kernel. 

In  the  accomplishment  of  this  task  the  question  arises  in  what 
way  the  fairest,  noblest,  and  holiest  part  of  the  creation  is  to  attain 
its  destiny ;  for  to  this  all  other  parts  must  be  made  subservient. 

Hence  the  question,  How  are  the  multitude  of  the  elect  to  attain 
their  final  perfection?  The  answer  to  this  will  indicate  what  is  the 
Holy  Spirit's  action  upon  all  other  creatures. 

The  answer  can  not  be  doubtful.  God's  children  can  never 
accomplish  their  glorious  end  unless  God  dwell  in  them  as  in  His 
temple.  It  is  the  love  of  God  that  constrains  Him  to  live  in  His 
children,  by  their  love  for  Him  to  love  Himself,  and  to  see  the 
reflection  of  His  glory  in  the  consciousness  of  His  own  handiwork. 
This  glorious  purpose  will  be  realized  only  when  the  elect  know  as 
they  are  known,  behold  their  God  face  to  face,  and  enjoy  the  felicity 
of  closest  communion  with  the  Lord. 

Since  all  this  can  be  wrought  in  them  only  by  His  indwelling  in 
their  hearts,  and  since  it  is  the  Third  Person  in  the  Holy  Trinity 
who  enters  the  spirits  of  men  and  of  angels,  it  is  evident  that  God's 
highest  purposes  are  realized  when  the  Holy  Spirit  makes  man's 
heart  His  dwelling-place.  Who  or  what  ever  we  are  by  education 
or  position,  we  can  not  attain  our  highest  destiny  unless  the  Holy 
Spirit  dwell  in  us  and  operate  upon  the  inward  organism  of  our 
being. 

If  this  His  highest  work  had  no  bearing  upon  anything  else,  we 


24  THE   CREATION 

might  say  that  it  consists  merely  in  finishing  the  perfection  of  the 
creature.  But  this  is  not  so.  Every  believer  knows  that  there  is  a 
most  intimate  connection  between  his  life  before  and  after  conver- 
sion ;  not  as  tho  the  former  determined  the  latter,  but  in  such  a  way 
that  the  life  in  sin  and  the  life  in  the  beauty  of  holiness  are  both 
conditioned  by  the  same  character  and  disposition,  by  similar  circum- 
stances and  influences.  Wherefore,  to  bring  about  our  final  perfec- 
tion the  Holy  Spirit  must  influence  the  previous  development,  the 
formation  of  character,  and  the  disposition  of  the  whole  person. 
And  this  operation,  altho  less  marked  in  the  natural  life,  must 
also  be  traced.  However,  since  our  personal  life  is  only  a  manifes- 
tation of  human  life  in  general,  it  follows  that  the  Holy  Spirit 
must  have  been  active  also  in  the  creation  of  man,  altho  in  a  less 
marked  degree.  And  finally,  as  the  disposition  of  man  as  such  is 
connected  with  the  host  of  heaven  and  earth,  His  work  must  touch 
the  formation  of  this  also,  tho  to  a  much  less  extent.  Hence 
the  Spirit's  work  reaches  as  far  as  the  influences  that  affect  man 
in  the  attaining  of  his  destiny  or  in  the  failure  to  attain  it.  And 
the  measure  of  the  influence  is  the  degree  in  which  they  affect 
his  perfecting.  In  the  departure  of  the  redeemed  soul  every  one 
acknowledges  a  work  of  the  Holy  Spirit;  but  who  can  trace  His 
work  in  the  star-movements?  Yet  the  Scripture  teaches  not  only 
that  we  are  bom  again  by  the  power  of  the  Spirit  of  God,  but  that 
"  by  the  Word  of  the  Lord  were  the  heavens  made,  and  all  the  host 
of  them  by  the  breath  [Spirit]  of  His  mouth." 

Wherefore  the  Spirit's  work  leading  the  creature  to  its  destiny 
includes  an  influence  upon  all  creation  from  the  beginning.  And, 
if  sin  had  not  come  in,  we  might  say  that  this  work  is  done  in  three 
successive  steps:  first,  impregnating  inanimate  matter;  second, 
animating  the  rational  soul ;  third,  taking  up  His  abode  in  the  elect 
child  of  God. 

But  sin  entered  in,  i.e.,  a  power  appeared  to  keep  man  and 
nature  frorn  their  destiny.  Hence  the  Holy  Spirit  must  antagonize 
sin ;  His  calling  is  to  annihilate  it,  and  despite  its  opposition  to  cause 
the  elect  children  of  God  and  the  entire  creation  to  reach  their 
end.  Redemption  is  therefore  not  a  new  work  added  to  that  of  the 
Holy  Spirit,  but  it  is  identical  with  it.  He  undertook  to  bring  all 
things  to  their  destiny  either  without  the  disturbance  of  sin  or  in 
spite  of  it  J  first,  by  saving  the  elect,  and  then  by  restoring  all  things 
in  heaven  and  on  earth  at  the  return  of  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ. 


THE  PRINCIPLE  OF  LIFE  IN  THE  CREATURE     25 

Things  incidental  to  this,  such  as  the  inspiration  of  Scripture, 
the  preparation  of  the  Body  of  Christ,  the  extraordinary  ministration 
of  grace  to  the  Church,  are  only  connecting-links,  connecting  the 
beginning  with  its  own  predetermined  end;  that  in  spite  of  sin's 
disturbance  the  destiny  of  the  universe  to  glorify  God  might  be 
secured. 

Condensing  all  into  one  statement,  we  might  say:  Sin  having 
once  entered,  a  factor  which  must  be  taken  into  account,  the  Holy 
Spirit's  work  shines  most  gloriously  in  gathering  and  saving  the 
elect ;  prior  to  which  are  His  operations  in  the  work  of  redemption 
and  in  the  economy  of  the  natural  life.  The  same  Spirit  who  in 
the  beginning  moved  upon  the  waters  has  in  the  dispensation  of 
grace  given  us  the  Holy  Scripture,  the  Person  of  Christ,  and  the 
Christian  Church  ;  and  it  is  He  who,  in  connection  with  the  original 
creation  and  by  these  means  of  grace,  now  regenerates  and  sanctifies 
us  as  the  children  of  God. 

Regarding  these  mighty  and  comprehensive  operations,  it  is  of 
first  importance  to  keep  in  view  the  fact  that  in  each  He  effects 
only  that  which  is  invisible  and  imperceptible.  This  marks  all  the 
Holy  Spirit's  operations.  Behind  the  visible  world  lies  one  invisi- 
ble and  spiritual,  with  outer  courts  and  inner  recesses ;  and  under- 
neath the  latter  are  the  unfathomable  depths  of  the  soul,  which  the 
Holy  Spirit  chooses  as  the  scene  of  His  labors — His  temple  wherein 
He  sets  up  His  altar. 

Christ's  redemptive  work  also  has  visible  and  invisible  parts. 
Reconciliation  in  His  blood  was  visible.  The  sanctification  of  His 
Body  and  the  adorning  of  His  human  nature  with  manifold  graces 
were  invisible.  Whenever  this  hidden  and  inward  work  is  specified 
the  Scripture  always  connects  it  with  the  Holy  Spirit.  Gabriel  says 
to  Mary:  "The  Holy  Ghost  shall  come  upon  thee."  It  is  said  of 
Christ:  "  That  He  had  the  Spirit  without  measure." 

We  observe  also  in  the  host  of  heaven  a  life  material,  outward, 
tangible  which  in  thought  we  never  associate  with  the  Holy  Spirit. 
But,  however  weak  and  impalpable,  the  visible  and  tangible  has 
an  invisible  background.  How  intangible  are  the  forces  of  nature, 
how  full  of  majesty  the  forces  of  magnetism!  But  life  underlies 
all.  Even  through  the  apparently  dead  trunk  sighs  an  impercept- 
ible breath.  From  the  unfathomable  depths  of  all  an  inward, 
hidden  principle  works  upward  and  outward.  It  shows  in  nature, 
much  more  in  man  and  angel.     And  what  is  this  quickening  and 


26  THE   CREATION 

animating  principle  but  the  Holy  Spirit?  "  Thou  sendest  forth  Thy 
Spirit,  they  are  created;  Thou  takest  away  Thy  breath,  they  die." 
This  inward,  invisible  something  is  God's  direct  touch.  There 
is  in  us  and  in  every  creature  a  point  where  the  living  God  touches 
us  to  uphold  us;  for  nothing  exists  without  being  upheld  by  Al- 
mighty God  from  moment  to  moment.  In  the  elect  this  point  is 
their  spiritual  life ;  in  the  rational  creature  his  rational  conscious- 
ness; and  in  all  creatures,  whether  rational  or  not,  their  life-prin- 
ciple. And  as  the  Holy  Spirit  is  the  Person  in  the  Holy  Trinity 
whose  office  it  is  to  effect  this  direct  touch  and  fellowship  with  the 
creature  in  his  inmost  being,  it  is  He  who  dwells  in  the  hearts  of 
the  elect;  who  animates  every  rational  being;  who  sustains  the 
principle  of  life  in  very  creature. 


VI. 
The  Host  of  Heaven  and  of  Earth. 

"  The  Spirit  of  God  hath  made 
me."—/od  xxxiii.  4. 

Understanding  somewhat  the  characteristic  note  of  the  work  of 
the  Holy  Spirit,  let  us  see  what  this  work  was  and  is  and  shall  be. 

The  Father  brings  forth,  the  Son  disposes  and  arranges,  the 
Holy  Spirit  perfects.  There  is  one  God  and  Father  of  whom  are 
all  things,  and  one  Lord  Jesus  Christ  through  whom  are  all  things; 
but  what  does  the  Scripture  say  of  the  special  work  the  Holy  Spirit 
did  in  creation  and  is  still  doing? 

For  the  sake  of  order  we  examine  first  the  account  of  the  crea- 
tion. God  says  in  Gen.  i.  2 :  "  The  earth  was  without  form  and 
void,  and  darkness  was  upon  the  face  of  the  deep.  And  the  Spirit 
of  God  moved  upon  the  waters."  See  also  Job  xxvi.  13:  "  By  His 
Spirit  He  hath  garnished  the  heavens ;  His  hand  hath  formed  the 
crooked  serpent  [the  constellation  of  the  Dragon,  or,  according  to 
others,  the  Milky  Way]."  And  also  Job  xxxiii.  4:  "The  Spirit  of 
God  hath  made  me ;  and  the  breath  of  the  Almighty  hath  given  me 
life."  And  again  Psalm  xxxiii.  6:  "  By  the  Word  of  the  Lord  were 
the  heavens  made,  and  all  the  host  of  them  by  the  breath  of  His 
mouth."  So  also  Psalm  civ.  30:  "Thou  sendest  forth  Thy  Spirit, 
they  are  created,  and  Thou  renewest  the  face  of  the  earth."  And 
with  different  import,  in  Isa.  xl.  13:  "  Who  hath  directed  the  Spirit 
of  the  Lord  [in  creation],  or  being  His  counselor  hath  taught  Him?" 

These  statements  show  that  the  Holy  Spirit  did  a  work  of  His 
own  in  creation. 

They  show,  too,  that  His  activities  are  closely  connected  with 
those  of  the  Father  and  the  Son.  Psalm  xxxiii.  6  presents  them 
as  almost  identical.  The  first  clause  reads:  "  By  the  Word  of  the 
Lord  were  the  heavens  made";  the  second:  "And  all  the  host  of 
them  by  the  breath  [Spirit]  of  His  mouth."  It  is  well  known  that 
in  Hebrew  poetry  parallel  clauses  express  the  same  thought  in 


28  THE   CREATION 

different  ways ;  so  that  from  this  passage  it  appears  that  the  work 
of  the  Word  and  that  of  the  Spirii  are  the  same,  the  latter  adding 
only  that  which  is  peculiarly  His  own. 

It  should  be  noticed  that  hardly  any  of  these  passages  mention 
the  Holy  Spirit  by  His  aivn  name.  It  is  not  the  Holy  Spirit,  but  the 
"  Spirit  of  His  mouth,"  "  His  Spirit,"  "  the  Spirit  of  the  Lord."  On 
account  of  this,  many  hold  that  these  passages  do  not  refer  to  the 
Holy  Spirit  as  the  Third  Person  in  the  Holy  Trinity,  but  speak  of 
God  as  One,  without  personal  distinction ;  and  that  the  representa- 
tion of  God  as  creating  anything  by  His  hand,  fingers,  word,  breath, 
or  Spirit  is  merely  a  human  way  of  speaking,  signifying  only  that 
God  was  thus  engaged. 

The  Church  has  always  opposed  this  interpretation,  and  rightly 
so,  on  the  ground  that  even  the  Old  Testament,  not  merely  in  a  few 
places  but  throughout  its  entire  economy,  bears  undoubted  testi- 
mony to  the  three  divine  Persons,  coequal  yet  of  one  essence.  It 
is  true  that  this  too  has  been  denied,  but  by  a  wrong  interpretation. 
And  to  the  reply,  "  But  our  interpretation  is  as  good  as  yours,"  we 
answer  that  Jesus  and  the  apostles  are  our  authorities;  the  Church 
received  its  confession  frorn  their  lips. 

Secondly,  we  deny  that  "  His  Spirit"  does  not  refer  to  the  Holy 
Ghost,  for  the  reason  that  in  the  New  Testament  similar  expres- 
sions occur  that  undoubtedly  do  refer  to  Him,  e.g.,  God  hath  sent 
forth  the  Spirit  of  His  Son"  (Gal.  iv.  6);  "Whom  the  Lord  shall 
consume  by  the  Spirit  of  His  mouth  "  (2  Thess.  ii.  8) ;  etc. 

Thirdly,  judging  from  the  following  passages, — "  By  the  Word  oi 
the  Lord  were  the  heavens  made  "  (Psalm  xxxiii.  6) ;  "  And  God  said. 
Let  there  be  light"  (Gen.  i.  3) ;  and  "  All  things  were  made  by  Him, 
and  without  Him  was  not  anything  made  that  was  made  "  (John  i. 
3), — there  can  be  no  doubt  that  Psalm  xxxiii.  6  refers  to  the  Second 
Person  in  the  Godhead.  Hence  also  the  second  clause  of  the  same 
verse,  "  And  all  their  host  by  the  Spirit  of  His  mouth,"  must  refer 
to  the  Third  Person. 

Finally,  to  speak  of  a  Spirit  of  God  that  is  not  the  Holy  Spirit  is 
to  transfer  to  the  Holy  Scripture  a  purely  Western  and  human  idea. 
We  as  men  often  speak  of  a  wrong  spirit  which  controls  a  nation,  an 
army,  or  a  school,  meaning  a  certain  tendency,  inclination,  or  per- 
suasion— a  spirit  that  proceeds  from  a  man  distinct  from  his  person 
and  being.  But  this  may  not  and  can  not  apply  to  God.  Speak- 
ing of  Christ  in  His  humiliation,  one  may  rightly  say,  "  To  have 


THE  HOST  OF  HEAVEN  AND  OF  EARTH  29 

the  mind  of  Christ,"  or  "  to  have  the  spirit  of  Jesus,"  which  indi- 
cates His  disposition.  But  to  distinguish  the  divine  Being  from 
a  spirit  of  that  Being  is  to  conceive  of  the  Godhead  in  a  human 
way.  The  divine  consciousness  differs  wholly  from  the  human. 
While  in  us  there  is  a  difference  between  our  persons  and  our  con- 
sciousness, with  reference  to  God  such  distinctions  disappear,  and 
the  distinction  of  Father,  Son,  and  Holy  Spirit  takes  their  place. 

Even  in  those  passages  where  "the  breath  of  His  mouth"  is 
added  to  explain  "  His  Spirit,"  the  same  interpretation  must  be 
maintained.  For  all  languages  show  that  our  breathing,  even  as 
the  "  breathing  of  the  elements"  in  the  wind  which  blows  before 
God's  face,  corresponds  to  the  being  of  spirit.  Nearly  all  express 
the  ideas  of  spirit,  breath,  and  wind  by  cognate  terms.  Blowing  or 
breathing  is  in  all  the  Scripture  the  symbol  of  spirit-communica- 
tion. Jesus  breathed  on  them  and  said :  "  Receive  ye  the  Holy 
Ghost"  (John  xx.  22).  Thus  the  breath  of  His  mouth  must  signify 
the  Holy  Spirit. 

The  ancient  interpretation  of  the  Scripture  should  not  be  hastily 
abandoned.  Accept  the  dictum  of  modern  theology  that  the  dis- 
tinction of  the  three  divine  Persons  is  not  found  in  the  Old  Testa- 
ment, and  allusions  to  the  work  of  the  Holy  Spirit  in  Genesis,  Job, 
Psalms,  or  Isaiah  are  out  of  the  question.  Consequently  nothing  is 
more  natural  for  the  supporters  of  this  modern  theology  than  to 
deny  the  Holy  Spirit  altogether  in  the  passages  referred  to. 

But  if  from  inward  conviction  we  still  confess  that  the  distinc- 
tion of  Father,  Son,  and  Holy  Spirit  is  clearly  seen  in  the  Old 
Testament,  then  let  us  examine  these  passages  concerning  the 
Spirit  of  the  Lord  with  discrimination,  and  gratefully  maintain  the 
traditional  interpretation,  which  finds  at  least  in  many  of  these 
statements  references  to  the  work  of  the  Holy  Spirit. 

These  passages  show  that  His  peculiar  work  in  creation  was: 
ist,  hovering  over  chaos;  2d,  creation  of  the  host  of  heaven  and  of 
earth;  3d,  ordening  the  heavens;  4th,  animating  the  brute  creation, 
and  calling  man  into  existence;  and  last,  the  operation  whereby 
every  creature  is  made  to  exist  according  to  God's  counsel  concern- 
ing it. 

Hence  the  material  forces  of  the  universe  do  not  proceed  from 
the  Holy  Spirit,  nor  did  He  deposit  in  matter  the  dormant  seeds  an4 
germs  of  life.  His  special  task  begins  only  after  the  creation  of 
matter  with  the  germs  of  life  in  it. 


30  THE   CREATION 

The  Hebrew  text  shows  that  the  work  of  the  Holy  Spirit  moving 
upon  the  face  of  the  waters  was  similar  to  that  of  the  parent  bird 
which  with  outspread  wings  hovers  over  its  young  to  cherish  and 
cover  them.  The  figure  implies  that  not  only  the  earth  existed, 
but  also  the  germs  of  life  within  it;  and  that  the  Holy  Spirit  im- 
pregnating these  germs  caused  the  life  to  come  forth  in  order  to 
lead  it  to  its  destiny. 

Not  by  the  •  Holy  Spirit,  but  by  the  Word  were  the  heavens 
created.  And  when  the  created  heavens  were  to  receive  their 
host,  then  only  did  the  moment  come  for  the  exercise  of  the  Holy 
Spirit's  peculiar  functions.  What  "  the  host  of  heaven"  means  is 
not  easily  decided.  It  may  refer  to  sun,  moon,  and  stars,  or  to  the 
host  of  angels.  Perhaps  the  passage  means  not  the  creation  of  the 
heavenly  bodies,  but  their  reception  of  heavenly  glory  and  celestial 
fire.  But  Psalm  xxxiii.  6  refers  certainly  not  to  the  creation  of  the 
matter  of  which  the  heavenly  host  are  composed,  but  to  the  produc- 
tion of  their  glory. 

Gen.  i.  2  reveals  first  the  creation  of  matter  and  its  germs, 
then  their  quickening ;  so  Psalm  xxxiii.  6  teaches  first  the  prepara- 
tion of  the  being  and  nature  of  the  heavens,  then  the  bringing  forth 
of  their  host  by  the  Holy  Spirit.  Job  xxvi.  13  leads  to  a  similar 
conclusion.  Here  is  the  same  distinction  between  the  heavens  and 
their  ordening,  the  latter  being  represented  as  the  special  work  of 
the  Holy  Spirit.  This  ordening  is  the  same  as  the  brooding  in 
Gen.  i.  2,  by  which  the  formless  took  form,  the  hidden  life  emerged, 
and  the  things  created  were  led  to  their  destiny.  Psalm  civ.  30  and 
Job  xxxiii.  4  illustrate  the  work  of  the  Holy  Spirit  in  creation  still 
more  clearly.  Job  informs  us  that  the  Holy  Spirit  had  a  special 
part  in  the  making  of  man;  and  Psalm  civ.  that  He  performed  a 
similar  work  in  the  creation  of  the  animals,  of  the  fowls  and  the 
fishes;  for  the  two  preceding  verses  imply  that  verse  27 — "Thou 
sendest  forth  Thy  Spirit,  they  are  created" — refers  not  to  man,  but 
to  the  monsters  that  play  in  the  deep. 

Grant  that  the  matter  out  of  which  God  made  man  was  already 
present  in  the  dust  of  the  earth,  that  the  type  of  his  body  was 
largely  present  in  the  animal,  and  that  the  idea  of  man  and  the 
image  after  which  he  was  to  be  created  existed  already ;  yet  from 
Job  xxxiii.  4  it  is  evident  that  he  did  not  come  to  be  without  a 
special  work  of  the  Holy  Spirit.  So  Psalm  civ.  30  proves  that, 
altho  the  matter  existed  out  of  which  whale  and  unicorn  were  to  be 


THE  HOST  OF  HEAVEN  AND  OF  EARTH  31 

made,  and  the  plan  or  model  was  in  the  divine  counsel,  yet  a  special 
act  of  the  Holy  Spirit  was  needed  to  cause  them  to  be.  This  is  still 
plainer  in  view  of  the  fact  that  neither  passage  refers  to  the_/^/^/ 
creation,  but  to  a  man  and  animals  formed  later.  For  Job  speaks 
not  of  Adam  and  Eve,  but  of  himself.  He  says:  "The  spirit  of 
God  hath  made  vie,  and  the  breath  of  the  Almighty  hath  given  me 
life."  In  Psalm  civ.  David  means  not  the  monsters  of  the  deep 
created  in  the  beginning,  but  those  that  were  walking  the  paths  of 
the  sea  while  he  was  singing  this  psalm.  If,  therefore,  the  bodies 
of  existing  man  and  of  mammals  are  not  immediate  creations,  but 
are  taken  from  the  flesh  and  blood,  the  nature  and  kind  of  existent 
beings,  then  it  is  more  evident  that  the  hovering  of  the  Holy  Spirit 
over  the  unformed  is  a  present  act ;  and  that  therefore  His  creative 
work  was  to  bring  out  the  life  already  hidden  in  chaos,  i.e.,  in  the 
germs  of  life. 

This  agrees  with  what  was  said  at  first  of  the  general  character 
of  His  work.  "  To  lead  to  its  destiny  "  is  to  bring  forth  the  hidden 
life,  to  cause  the  hidden  beauty  to  reveal  itself,  to  rouse  into  activity 
the  slumbering  energies. 

Only  let  us  not  represent  it  as  a  work  performed  in  successive 
stages — first  by  the  Father,  whose  finished  work  was  taken  up  by 
the  Son,  after  which  the  Holy  Spirit  completed  the  work  thus  pre- 
pared. Such  representations  are  unworthy  of  God.  There  is  distri- 
bution, no  division,  in  the  divine  activities ;  wherefore  Isaiah  declares 
that  the  Spirit  of  the  Lord,  i.e.,  the  Holy  Spirit,  throughout  the 
entire  work  of  creation,  from  the  beginning — yea,  from  before  the 
beginning — directed  all  that  was  to  come. 


VII. 
The  Creaturely  Man. 

"  The  Spirit  of  God  hath  made  me,  and 
the  breath  of  the  Almighty  hath 
given  me  life."— yi?3  xxxiii.  4. 

The  Eternal  and  Ever-blessed  God  comes  into  vital  touch  with 
the  creature  by  an  act  proceeding  not  from  the  Father  nor  from 
the  Son,  but  from  the  Holy  Spirit. 

Translated  by  sovereign  grace  from  death  unto  life,  God's  chil- 
dren are  conscious  of  this  divine  fellowship;  they  know  that  it  con- 
sists not  in  inward  agreement  of  disposition  or  inclination,  but  in 
the  mysterious  touch  of  God  upon  their  spiritual  being.  But  they 
also  know  that  neither  the  Father  nor  the  Son,  but  the  Holy  Spirit, 
has  made  their  hearts  His  temple.  It  is  true  Christ  comes  to  us 
through  the  Holy  Spirit,  and  through  the  Son  we  have  fellowship 
with  the  Father,  according  to  His  word,  "  I  and  the  Father  will 
come  unto  you,  and  make  Our  abode  with  you";  yet  every  intelli- 
gent Bible  student  knows  that  it  is  more  especially  the  Holy  Spirit 
who  enters  into  his  person  and  touches  his  innermost  being. 

That  the  Son  incarnate  came  into  closer  contact  with  us  proves 
nothing  to  the  contrary.  Christ  never  entered  into  a  huma.n person. 
He  took  upon  Himself  our  human  nature,  with  which  He  united 
Himself  much  more  closely  than  the  Holy  Spirit  does;  but  He  did 
not  touch  the  inward  man  and  his  hidden  personality.  On  the  con- 
trary, He  said  that  it  was  expedient  for  the  disciples  that  He  should 
go  away;  "  for  if  I  go  not  away,  the  Comforter  will  not  come  unto 
you;  but  if  I  depart  I  will  send  Him  unto  you."  Moreover,  the  In- 
carnation was  not  accomplished  without  the  Holy  Spirit,  who  over- 
shadowed Mary;  and  the  blessings  that  Christ  imparted  to  all 
around  Him  were  largely  owing  to  the  gift  of  the  Holy  Spirit, 
which  was  given  Him  without  measure. 

Hence  the  principal  thought  remains  intact :  When  God  comes 
into  direct  contact  with  the  creature  it  is  the  work  of  the  Holy 


THE    CREATURELY    MAN  33 

Spirit  to  effect  such  contact.  In  the  visible  world  this  action  con- 
sists in  the  kindling  and  fanning  of  the  spark  of  life ;  hence  it  is 
quite  natural  and  in  full  harmony  with  the  general  tenor  of  the 
teaching  of  Scripture  that  the  Spirit  of  God  moves  upon  the  face 
of  the  waters,  that  He  brings  forth  the  host  of  heaven  and  earth, 
ordened,  animated,  and  resplendent. 

Besides  this  visible  creation  there  is  also  an  invisible,  which,  so 
far  as  our  world  is  concerned,  concentrates  itself  in  the  heart  of  man  ; 
hence,  in  the  second  place,  we  must  see  how  far  the  work  of  the 
Holy  Spirit  may  be  traced  in  man's  creation. 

Of  the  animal  world  we  do  not  speak.  Not  as  tho  the  Holy 
Spirit  had  nothing  to  do  with  their  creation.  From  Psalm  civ.  30 
we  have  proven  the  contrary.  Moreover,  no  one  can  deny  the 
admirable  traits  of  cunning,  love,  fidelity,  and  thankfulness  in  many 
of  the  animals.  Not  that  we  would  be  foolish  on  that  ground  to 
call  the  dog  half  human;  for  these  higher  animal  properties  are 
evidently  but  instinctive  preformations,  sketches  of  the  Holy 
Spirit,  carried  to  their  proper  destiny  in  man  alone.  And  yet, 
however  striking  these  traits  may  be,  it  is  not  a. person  that  meets 
us  in  the  animal.  The  animal  proceeds  from  the  world  of  matter, 
and  returns  to  it ;  in  man  alone  appears  that  which  is  new,  invisible, 
and  spiritual,  justifying  us  in  looking  for  a  special  work  of  the  Holy 
Spirit  in  his  creation. 

Of  himself,  i.e.,  of  a  tnan.  Job  declares:  "  The  Spirit  of  God  hath 
made  me,  and  the  breath  of  the  Almighty  hath  given  me  life."  The 
Spirit  of  God  hath  made  7ne.  That  which  I  am  as  a  hiwian  person- 
ality is  the  work  of  the  Holy  Spirit.  To  Him  I  owe  the  human  and 
personal  that  constitute  me  the  being  that  I  am.  He  adds:  "The 
breath  of  the  Almighty  hath  given  me  life";  which  evidently 
echoes  the  words:  "The  Lord  God  breathed  into  His  nostrils  the 
breath  of  life." 

Like  Job,  we  ought  to  feel  and  to  acknowledge  that  in  Adam 
you  and  I  aie  created;  when  God  created  Adam  He  created  us ;  in 
Adam's  nature  He  called  forth  the  nature  wherein  we  now  live. 
Gen.  i.  and  ii.  is  not  the  record  of  aliens,  but  of  ourselves — concern- 
ing the  flesh  and  blood  which  we  carry  with  us,  the  human  nature  in 
which  we  sit  down  to  read  the  Word  of  God. 

He  that  reads  his  Bible  without  this  personal  application  reads 
amiss.     It  leaves  him  cold  and  indifferent.     It  may  charm  him  in 
the  days  of  his  childhood,  when  one  is  fond  of  tales  and  stories,  but 
3 


34  THE   CREATION 

has  no  hold  of  him  in  the  days  of  conflict,  when  he  meets  the  stem 
facts  and  realities  of  life.  But  if  we  accustom  ourselves  to  see 
in  this  record  the  history  of  our  own  flesh  and  blood,  of  our  own 
human  nature  and  life,  and  acknowledge  that  by  human  generation 
we  spring  from  Adam,  and  therefore  were  in  Adam  when  he  was 
created — then  we  shall  also  know  that  when  God  formed  Adam  out 
of  the  dust  He  also  formed  us;  that  we  also  were  in  Paradise;  that 
Adam's  fall  was  also  ours.  In  a  word,  the  first  page  of  Genesis 
relates  the  history  not  of  an  alien,  but  of  our  own  real  selves.  The 
breath  of  the  Almighty  gave  us  life,  when  the  Lord  formed  man  of 
the  dust,  and  breathed  into  his  nostrils  and  made  him  a  living  soul. 
The  root  of  our  life  lies  in  our  parents;  but  through  and  beyond 
them  the  tender  fiber  of  that  root  goes  back  through  the  long  line 
of  generations,  and  received  its  earliest  beginning  when  Adam  first 
breathed  God's  pure  air  in  Paradise. 

And  yet,  tho  in  Paradise  we  received  the  first  inception  of  our 
being,  there  is  also  a  second  beginning  of  our  life,  viz.,  when  from 
the  race,  by  conception  and  birth,  each  of  us  was  called  into  being 
individually.  And  of  this  also  Job  testifies:  "  The  Spirit  of  the  Lord 
hath  given  me  life." 

And  again,  in  the  life  of  sinful  man  there  comes  a  third  begin- 
ning, when  it  pleases  God  to  convert  the  wicked ;  and  of  this  also 
the  soul  testifies  within  us ;  "  The  Spirit  of  the  Lord  hath  given  me 
life." 

Leaving  this  new  birth  out  of  the  question,  the  testimony  of  Job 
shows  us  that  he  was  conscious  of  the  fact  that  he  owed  his  exist- 
ence as  a  man,  as  a  person,  as  an  ego,  hence  his  creation  in  Adam 
as  well  as  his  personal  being,  to  God. 

And  what  does  the  Scripture  teach  us  concerning  the  creation 
of  man?  This :  that  the  dust  of  the  ground  out  of  which  Adam  was 
formed  was  so  wrought  upon  that  it  became  a  living  soul,  which 
indicates  the  human  being.  The  result  was  not  merely  a  moving, 
creeping,  eating,  drinking,  and  sleeping  creature,  but  a  living  soul 
that  came  into  existence  at  the  moment  when  the  breath  of  life  was 
breathed  into  the  dust.  It  was  not  first  the  dust,  and  then  human 
life  within  the  dust,  and  after  that  the  soul  with  all  its  higher  facul- 
ties in  that  human  life ;  nay,  as  soon  as  life  went  forth  into  Adam, 
he  was  a  man,  and  all  his  precious  gifts  were  natural  endowments. 

Sinful  man  being  born  from  above  receives  gifts  that  are  above 
nature.     For  this  reason  the  Holy  Spirit  merely  dwells  in  the  quick- 


THE    CREATURELY   MAN  35 

ened  sinner.  But  in  heaven  this  will  not  be  so ;  for  in  death  the 
human  nature  is  so  completely  changed  that  the  impulse  to  sin 
disappears  entirely ;  wherefore  in  heaven  the  Holy  Spirit  will  work 
in  the  human  nature  itself  for  ever  and  ever.  In  the  present  state 
of  humiliation  the  nature  of  the  regenerate  is  still  the  Adam-nature. 
The  gfreat  mystery  of  the  work  of  the  Holy  Spirit  in  him  is  this: 
that  ///  and  by  that  broken  and  corrupt  nature  He  works  the  holy  works 
of  God.  It  is  as  light  shining  through  our  window-panes,  but  in  no 
wise  identical  with  the  glass. 

In  Paradise,  however,  man's  nature  was  whole,  intact;  every- 
thing about  him  was  holy.  We  must  avoid  the  dangerous  error 
that  the  newly  created  man  had  an  inferior  degree  of  holiness. 
God  made  man  upright,  with  nothing  crooked  in  or  about  him.  All 
his  inclinations  and  powers  with  all  their  workings  were  pure  and 
holy.  God  delighted  in  Adam,  saw  that  he  was  good ;  surely  noth- 
ing more  can  be  desired.  In  this  respect  Adam  differed  from  the 
child  of  God  by  grace  in  not  having  eternal  life ;  he  was  to  attain 
this  as  the  reward  for  holy  works.  On  the  other  hand,  Abraham, 
the  father  of  the  faithful,  begins  with  eternal  life,  from  which  holy 
works  were  to  proceed. 

Hence  a  perfect  contrast.  Adam  must  attain  eternal  life  by 
works.  Abraham  has  eternal  life  through  which  he  obtains  holy 
works.  Hence  for  Adam  there  can  be  no  indwelling  of  the  Holy 
Spirit.  There  was  no  antagonism  between  him  and  the  Spirit.  So 
the  Spirit  coVi\^ pervade  him,  not  merely  dwell  vsx  him.  The  nature 
of  sinful  man  repels  the  Holy  Spirit,  but  Adam's  nature  attracted 
Him,  freely  received  Him,  and  let  Him  inspire  his  being. 

Our  faculties  and  inclinations  are  impaired,  our  powers  are  ener- 
vated, the  passions  of  our  hearts  corrupt;  hence  the  Holy  Spirit 
must  come  to  us  from  without.  But  since  Adam's  faculties  were  all 
intact,  and  the  whole  expression  of  his  inward  life  undisturbed, 
therefore  could  the  Holy  Spirit  work  through  the  common  powers 
and  operations  of  his  nature.  To  Adam  spiritual  things  were  not  a 
superna.tuT3i\,  but  a  natural  good — except  eternal  life,  which  he  must 
earn  by  fulfilling  the  law.  Scripture  expresses  this  unity  between 
Adam's  natural  life  and  spiritual  powers  by  identifying  the  two 
expressions — "To  breathe  into  the  breath  of  life,"  and  "to  become 
a  living  soul." 

Other  passages  show  that  this  divine  "inbreathing"  indicates 
especially  the  Spirit's  work.     Jesus  breathed  upon  His  disciples 


36  THE   CREATION 

and  said:  "Receive  ye  the  Holy  Ghost."  He  compares  the  Holy 
Spirit  to  the  wind.  In  both  the  Biblical  languages,  Hebrew  and 
Greek,  the  word  spirit  means  wind,  breathing  or  blowing.  And  as 
the  Church  confesses  that  the  Son  is  eternally  generated  by  the 
Father,  so  it  confesses  that  the  Holy  Spirit  proceedeth  from  the 
Father  and  the  Son  as  by  breathing.  Hence  we  conclude  that  the 
passage,  "And  breathed  into  his  nostrils  the  breath  of  life" — in 
connection  with,  "  The  Spirit  of  God  moved  on  the  face  of  the 
waters,"  and  the  word  of  Job,  "  The  Spirit  of  God  hath  given  me 
life  " — points  to  a  special  work  of  the  Holy  Spirit. 

Before  God  breathed  the  breath  of  life  in  the  lifeless  dust,  there 
was  a  conference  in  the  economy  of  the  divine  Being :  "  Let  Us 
make  man  in  Our  image,  after  Our  likeness."    This  shows — 

First,  that  each  divine  Person  had  a  distinct  work  in  the  creation 
of  man — "  Let  Us  make  man."  Before  this  the  singular  is  used  of 
God — "  He  spake,"  "  He  saw";  but  now  the  plural  is  used,  "  Let  Us 
make  man,"  which  implies  that,  here  specially  and  more  clearly 
than  in  any  preceding  passage,  the  activities  of  the  Persons  are  to 
be  distinguished. 

Secondly,  that  man  was  not  created  empty,  afterward  to  be  en- 
dowed with  higher  spiritual  faculties  and  powers,  but  that  the  very 
act  of  creation  made  him  after  God's  image,  without  any  subse- 
quent addition  to  his  being.  For  we  read :  "  Let  Us  create  man  in 
Our  image  and  after  Our  likeness"  This  assures  us  that  by  immediate 
creation  man  received  the  impress  of  the  divine  image ;  that  in  the 
creation  the  divine  Persons  each  performed  a  distinct  work ;  and, 
lastly,  that  man's  creation  with  reference  to  his  higher  destiny  was 
effected  by  a  going  forth  of  the  breath  of  God. 

This  is  the  basis  of  our  statement  that  the  Spirit's  creative  work 
was  making  all  man's  powers  and  gifts  instruments  for  His  own 
use,  connecting  them  vitally  and  immediately  with  the  powers  of 
God.  This  agrees  with  Biblical  teachings  regarding  the  Holy 
Spirit's  regenerating  work,  which  also,  the  differently,  brings  the 
power  and  holiness  of  God  in  immediate  contact  with  human 
powers. 

We  deny,  therefore,  the  frequent  assertion  of  ethical  theolo- 
gians, that  the  Holy  Spirit  created  th.Q  personality  of  man,  since  this 
opposes  the  entire  economy  of  Scripture.  For  what  is  our  person- 
ality but  the  realization  of  God's  plan  concerning  us?  Such  as  God 
from  eternity  has  thought  each  of  us,  as  distinct  from  other  men, 


THE    CREATURELY   MAN  37 

with  our  own  stamp,  life-history,  calling,  and  destiny — as  such  each 
must  develop  and  show  himself  to  become  a  person.  Thus  alone 
each  obtains  character;  anything  else  so  called  is  pride  and  arbi- 
trariness. 

If  our  personality  result  directly  from  God's  plan,  then  it  and 
what  we  have  in  common  with  all  other  creatures  can  not  be  from 
the  Holy  Spirit,  but  from  the  Father ;  like  all  other  things,  it  re- 
ceives its  disposition  from  the  Son ;  and  the  Holy  Spirit  acts  upon 
it  as  upon  every  other  creature,  by  kindling  the  spark,  imparting 
the  glow  of  life. 


VIII. 
Gifts  and  Talents. 

"  And  the  Spirit  of  the  Lord  came 
uponhim."— ywa^fjiii.  lo. 

We  now  consider  the  Holy  Spirit's  work  in  bestowing  gifts, 
talents,  and  abilities  upon  artisans  and  professional  men.  Scrij> 
ture  declares  that  the  special  animation  and  qualification  of  persons 
for  work  assigned  to  them  by  God  proceed  from  the  Holy  Spirit. 

The  construction  of  the  tabernacle  required  capable  workmen, 
skilful  carpenters,  goldsmiths,  and  silversmiths,  and  masters  in  the 
arts  of  weaving  and  embroidering.  Who  will  furnish  Moses  with 
them?  The  Holy  Spirit.  For  we  read  in  Exod.  xxxi.  2,  3:  "  I  have 
called  by  name  Bezaleel,  the  son  of  Uri,  .  .  .  and  I  have  filled  him 
with  the  Spirit  of  God,  in  wisdom,  and  in  understanding,  and  in 
knowledge,  and  in  all  manner  of  workmanship,  to  devise  cunning 
works,  to  work  in  gold,  and  in  silver,  and  in  brass,  and  in  cutting 
of  stones,  to  set  them,  and  in  carving  of  timber,  to  work  in  all 
manner  of  workmanship."  Verse  6  shows  that  this  activity  of  the 
Holy  Spirit  included  others :  "  In  the  hearts  of  all  that  are  wise- 
hearted  I  have  put  wisdom,  that  they  may  make  all  that  I  have 
commanded  them."  And  to  give  clearest  light  on  this  subject. 
Scripture  says  also:  "  Then  hath  He  filled  with  wisdom  of  heart,  to 
work  all  manner  of  work  of  the  engraver  and  of  the  cunning  work- 
man, and  of  the  embroiderer  in  blue  and  in  purple  and  in  scarlet 
and  in  fine  linen  of  the  weaver,  even  of  them  that  do  any  work  and 
of  these  that  devise  cunning  work." 

The  Spirit's  working  shows  not  only  in  ordinary  skilled  labor, 
but  also  in  the  higher  spheres  of  human  knowledge  and  mental 
activity;  for  military  genius,  legal  acumen,  statemanship,  and 
power  to  inspire  the  masses  with  enthusiasm  are  equally  ascribed 
to  it.  This  is  generally  expressed  in  the  words,  "  And  the  Spirit 
of  the  Lord  came  upon"  such  a  hero,  judge,  statesman,  or  tribune 
of  the  people,  especially  in  the  days  of  the  Judges,  when  it  is  said 


GIFTS   AND   TALENTS  39 

of  Joshua,  Othniel,  Barak,  Gideon,  Samson,  Samuel,  and  others 
that  the  Spirit  of  the  Lord  came  upon  them.  Also  of  Zerubbabel 
rebuilding  the  temple,  it  is  said:  "  Not  by  might  nor  by  power,  but 
by  My  Spirit,  saith  the  Lord."  Even  of  the  heathen  king,  Cyrus, 
we  read  that  Jehovah  had  called  him  to  His  work  and  anointed  him 
with  the  Spirit  of  the  Lord — Isa.  xlv. 

This  last  instance  introduces  another  aspect  of  the  case,  viz.,  the 
operation  of  the  Holy  Spirit  in  qualifying  men  for  official  functions. 
For  altho  this  operation  upon  and  through  the  office  receives  its 
fullest  significance  only  in  the  dispensation  of  grace,  yet  the  case 
of  Cyrus  shows  that  the  Holy  Spirit  has  originally  a  work  to  per- 
form in  this  respect  which  is  not  only  a  result  of  grace,  but  belongs 
essentially  to  the  nature  of  the  work,  even  tho  it  is  obvious  only 
in  the  history  of  God's  special  dealings  with  His  own  people. 

It  is  especially  noticeable  in  the  struggle  between  Saul  and 
David.  There  is  no  reason  to  consider  Saul  one  of  God's  elect. 
After  his  anointing  the  Holy  Spirit  comes  upon  him,  abides  with 
him,  and  works  upon  him  as  long  as  he  remains  the  Lord's  chosen 
king  over  His  people.  But  as  soon  as  by  wilful  disobedience  he 
forfeits  that  favor,  the  Holy  Spirit  departs  from  him  and  an  evil 
spirit  from  the  Lord  troubles  him.  Evidently  this  work  of  the 
Holy  Spirit  has  nothing  to  do  with  regeneration.  For  a  time  it 
may  operate  upon  a  man  and  then  forever  depart  from  him ;  while 
the  Spirit's  saving  operation,  even  tho  suspended  for  a  time,  can 
never  be  wholly  lost.  David's  touching  prayer,  "  Take  not  Thy 
Holy  Spirit  from  me,"  must  therefore  refer  to  gifts  qualifying  him 
for  the  kingly  office.  David  had  the  terrible  example  of  Saul 
before  him.  He  had  seen  what  becomes  of  a  man  whom  the  Holy 
Spirit  leaves  to  himself;  and  his  heart  trembled  at  the  possibility 
of  an  evil  spirit  coming  upon  him,  and  an  end  as  sad  as  Saul's. 
Like  Judas,  Saul  dies  a  suicide. 

From  the  whole  Scripture  teaching  we  therefore  conclude  that 
the  Holy  Spirit  has  a  work  in  connection  with  mechanical  arts  and 
official  functions — in  every  special  talent  whereby  some  men  excel 
in  such  art  or  office.  This  teaching  is  not  simply  that  such  gifts 
and  talents  are  not  of  man  but  from  God  like  all  other  blessings, 
but  that  they  are  not  the  work  of  the  Father,  nor  of  the  Son,  but  of 
the  Holy  Spirit. 

The  distinction  discovered  in  creation  may  be  observed  here : 
gifts  and  talents  come  from  the  Father ;  are  disposed  for  each  per- 


40  THE   CREATION 

sonality  by  the  Son ;  and  kindled  in  each  by  the  Holy  Spirit  as  by 
a  spark  from  above. 

Let  us  distinguish  art  itself,  persojml   talent   to  practise  it,  and 
the  vocation  thereto. 

Art  is  not  man's  invention,  but  God's  creation.  In  all  nations 
and  ages  men  have  pursued  the  arts  of  weaving,  embroidering, 
skilful  dressmaking,  casting  and  chasing  noble  metals,  cutting  and 
polishing  diamonds,  molding  iron  and  brass;  and  in  all  these  coun- 
tries and  ages,  without  knowing  of  each  other's  eflfbrts,  have  applied 
the  same  arts  to  all  these  materials.  Of  course  there  is  a  difference. 
Oriental  work  bears  a  stamp  quite  different  from  that  of  the  West. 
Even  French  and  German  work  differ.  But  under  the  differences, 
the  endeavor,  the  art  applied,  the  material,  the  ideal  pursued  are 
the  same.  So,  too,  art  did  not  attain  perfection  all  at  once ;  among 
the  nations  forms  at  first  crude  and  awkward  gradually  developed 
into  forms  chaste,  refined,  and  beautiful.  Successive  generations 
improved  upon  previous  achievements,  until  among  the  various 
nations  comparative  perfection  of  art  and  skill  was  attained. 
Hence  art  is  not  the  result  of  man's  thought  and  purpose;  but  God 
has  placed  in  various  materials  certain  possibilities  of  workman- 
ship, and  by  applying  this  workmanship  man  must  make  out  of 
each  what  there  is  in  it,  and  not  whatever  he  chooses. 

Two  things  must  cooperate  to  effect  this.  In  the  creation  of 
gold,  silver,  wood,  iron,  God  must  have  placed  in  them  certain 
possibilities,  and  have  created  inventive  power  in  man's  mind,  per- 
severance in  his  will,  strength  in  his  muscle,  accurate  vision  in  his 
eye,  delicacy  of  touch  and  action  in  his  fingers,  thus  qualifying 
him  to  evolve  what  is  latent  in  the  materials.  Since  this  labor  has 
the  same  nature  among  all  nations,  the  perpetual  progress  of  the 
same  great  work  being  accomplished  according  to  the  same  majestic 
plan,  through  successive  generations,  all  artistic  skill  and  executive 
ability  must  be  wrought  in  man  by  a  higher  power  and  according  to 
a  higher  command.  Viewing  the  treasures  of  an  industrial  exposi- 
tion in  the  light  of  the  revealed  Word,  we  shall  see  in  their  gradual 
development  and  genetic  unity  the  downfall  of  human  pride,  and 
exclaim :  "  What  is  all  this  art  and  skill  but  the  manifestation  of  the 
possibilities  which  God  has  placed  in  these  materials,  and  of  the 
powers  of  mind  and  eye  and  finger  which  He  has  given  the  children 
of  men!" 

Consider,  now,  personal  talent  as  utterly  distinct  from  art. 


GIFTS   AND   TALENTS  41 

The  goldsmith  in  his  craft  and  the  judge  in  his  office  enter  upon 
a  work  of  God.  Each  labors  in  his  divine  vocation,  and  all  the  skill 
and  judgment  that  he  may  develop  therein  come  from  the  treasures 
of  the  Lord. 

Still,  workman  differs  from  workman,  general  from  general. 
The  one  copies  the  product  of  the  generation  before  him  and  be- 
queaths it  without  increasing  the  artistic  skill.  He  began  as  an 
apprentice,  and  imparts  this  skill  to  other  apprentices;  but  the 
artistic  proficiency  is  the  same.  The  other  manifests  something 
akin  to  genius.  He  quickly  surpasses  his  master;  sees,  touches, 
discovers  something  new.  In  his  hand  art  is  enriched.  It  is  given 
him  to  transfer  from  the  treasures  of  divine  artistic  skill  new  beau- 
ties into  human  skill. 

So  also  of  men  in  office  and  profession.  Thousands  of  officers 
trained  in  our  military  schools  become  good  teachers  of  the  science 
of  tactics  as  practised  heretofore,  but  add  nothing  to  it ;  while  among 
these  thousands  there  may  be  two  or  three  possessed  of  military 
genius  who  in  the  event  of  war  will  astonish  the  world  by  their 
brilliant  exploits. 

This  talent,  this  individual  genius  so  intimately  connected  with 
man's  personality,  is  b.  gift.  No  power  in  the  world  can  create  it  in 
the  man  that  possesses  it  not.  The  child  is  born  with  or  without  it; 
if  without  it,  no  education  nor  severity — not  even  ambition — can  call 
it  forth.  But  as  the  gift  of  grace  is  freely  bestowed  by  the  sover- 
eign God,  so  is  also  the  gift  of  genius.  When  the  people  pray,  let 
them  not  forget  to  ask  the  Lord  to  raise  up  among  them  men  of 
talent,  heroes  of  art  and  of  office. 

When  in  1870  Germany  had  victory  only,  and  France  defeat  only, 
it  was  God's  sovereignty  that  gave  the  former  talented  generals, 
and  in  displeasure  denied  them  to  the  latter. 

Consider  the  vocation. 

Official  and  mechanical  men  have  a  high  call.  All  have  not  the 
same  ability.  One  is  adapted  for  the  sea,  another  for  the  plow. 
One  is  a  bungler  in  the  foundry,  but  a  master  at  wood-carving, 
while  another  is  the  reverse.  This  depends  upon  the  personality, 
nature,  and  inclination.  And  since  the  Holy  Spirit  lights  the 
personality,  He  also  determines  every  man's  calling  to  trade  or 
profession.  The  same  applies  to  the  life  of  nations.  The  French 
excel  in  taste  as  well  as  in  artistic  workmanship ;  while  the  English 
seem  created  for  the  sea,  our  masters  in  all  the  markets  of  the 


42  THE   CREATION 

world.  The  Holy  Spirit  even  bestows  artistic  skill  and  talent  upon 
a  nation  at  one  time  and  withdraws  it  at  another.  Three  centuries 
ago  Holland  surpassed  all  Europe  in  weaving,  making  porcelain, 
printing,  painting,  and  engraving.  But  how  great  the  subsequent 
decline  in  this  respect — altho  now  progress  again  appears. 

What  we  find  in  Israel  is  related  to  this.  This  very  thirst  and 
capacity  for  knowledge  had  caused  man  to  fall.  The  first  impetus 
was  given  to  artistic  skill  among  Cain's  descendants;  the  Jubals 
and  the  Jabals  and  the  Tubal-Cains  were  the  first  artists.  And  yet 
this  whole  development,  altho  feeding  upon  the  treasures  of  God, 
departed  more  and  more  from  Him,  while  His  own  people  utterly 
lacked  it.  In  the  days  of  Samuel  there  was  no  smith  found  in  all 
the  land  of  Canaan.  Hence  the  Spirit's  coming  upon  Bezaleel  and 
Aholiab,  upon  Othniel  and  Samson,  upon  Saul  and  David,  signifies 
something  more  than  a  mere  imparting  of  artistic  skill  and  talent ; 
namely,  the  restoration  of  what  sin  had  corrupted  and  defiled.  And 
thus  the  illumination  of  a  Bezaleel  links  the  Holy  Spirit's  work  in 
the  material  creation  and  that  in  the  dispensation  of  grace. 


Ubtrt)  Cbapter. 
RE-CREATION. 


IX. 
Creation  and  Re-Creation. 

•'  Behold,  I  will  pour  out  My  Spirit 
unto  you." — Prov.  i.  23. 

We  approach  the  special  work  of  the  Holy  Spirit  in  Re-creation. 
We  have  seen  that  the  Holy  Spirit  had  a  part  in  the  creation  of 
all  things,  particularly  in  creating  itian,  and  most  particularly  in 
endowing  him  with  gifts  and  talents  ;  also  that  His  creative  work 
affects  the  upholding  of  "  things,"  of  "  man,"  and  of  "  talents," 
through  the  providence  of  God ;  and  that  in  this  double  series  of 
threefold  activity  the  Spirit's  work  is  intimately  connected  with 
that  of  the  Father  and  that  of  the  Son,  so  that  every  thing,  every 
man,  every  talent  springs  from  the  Father,  is  given  disposition  in 
their  respective  natures  and  being  through  the  Son,  and  receives 
the  spark  of  life  by  the  Holy  Spirit. 

The  old  church  hymn,  "  Veni,  Creator  Spiritus,"  and  the  ancient 
confession  of  the  Holy  Spirit  as  the  "  Vivificans"  agree  with  this 
perfectly.  For  the  latter  signifies  that  Person  in  the  Trinity  who 
imparts  the  spark  of  life ;  and  the  former  means,  "  Seeing  that  the 
things  which  are  to  live  and  shall  live  are  ready,  come  Holy  Spirit 
and  quicken  them." 

There  is  always  the  same  deep  thought:  the  Father  remains 
outside  of  the  creature;  the  Son  touches  him  outwardly;  by  the 
Holy  Spirit  the  divine  life  touches  him  directly  in  his  inward 
being. 

However,  let  us  not  be  understood  to  say  that  God  comes  into 
contact  with  the  creature  only  in  the  regeneration  of  His  children. 


44  RE-CREATION 

\vhich  would  be  untrue.  To  the  Gentiles  at  Athens,  St.  Paul  says: 
"In  Him  we  live  and  move  and  have  our  being."  And  again: 
"  For  of  His  offspring  we  are."  To  say  nothing  of  plant  or  ani- 
mal, there  is  on  earth  no  life,  energy,  law,  atom,  or  element  but 
the  Almighty  and  Omnipresent  God  quickens  and  supports  that 
life  from  moment  to  moment,  causes  that  energy  to  work,  and 
enforces  that  law.  Suppose  that  for  an  instant  God  should  cease  to 
sustain  and  animate  this  life,  these  forces,  and  that  law ;  in  that  same 
instant  they  would  cease  to  be.  The  energy  that  proceeds  from 
God  must  therefore  touch  the  creature  in  the  very  center  of  its 
being,  whence,  its  whole  existence  must  spring.  Hence  there  is  no 
sun,  moon,  nor  star,  no  material,  plant,  or  animal,  and,  in  much 
higher  sense,  no  man,  skill,  gift,  or  talent  unless  God  touch  and 
support  them  all. 

It  is  this  act  of  coming  into  immediate  contact  with  every  crea- 
ture, animate  or  inanimate,  organic  or  inorganic,  rational  or  irra- 
tional, that,  according  to  the  profound  conception  of  the  Word  of 
God,  is  performed  not  by  the  Father,  nor  by  the  Son,  but  by  the 
Holy  Spirit. 

And  this  puts  the  work  of  the  Holy  Spirit  in  a  light  quite  differ- 
ent from  that  in  which  for  many  years  the  Church  has  looked  upon 
it.  The  general  impression  is  that  His  work  refers  to  the  life  of 
grace  only,  and  is  confined  to  regeneration  and  sanctification.  This 
is  due  more  or  less  to  the  well-known  division  of  the  Apostolic 
Creed  by  the  Heidelberg  Catechism,  question  29,  "  How  are  these 
articles  divided?"  which  is  answered :  "  Into  three  parts — of  God  the 
Father  and  our  creation,  of  God  the  Son  and  our  redemption,  and 
of  God  the  Holy  Spirit  and  our  sanctification."  And  this,  too,  altho 
Ursinus,  one  of  the  authors  of  this  catechism,  had  already  declared, 
in  his  "  Thesaurus,"  that :  "  All  the  three  Persons  create  and  redeem 
and  sanctify.  But  in  these  operations  they  observe  this  order — that 
the  Father  creates  of  Himself  by  means  of  the  Son;  the  Son  creates 
by  means  of  the  Father;  and  the  Holy  Spirit  by  means  of  both." 

But  since  the  deeper  insight  into  the  mystery  of  the  adorable 
Trinity  was  gradually  lost,  and  the  pulpit's  touch  upon  it  became 
both  rare  and  superficial,  the  Sabellian  error  naturally  crept  into 
the  Church  again,  viz.,  that  there  were  three  successive  periods  in 
the  activities  of  the  divine  Persons:  First,  that  of  the  Father  alone 
creating  the  world  and  upholding  the  natural  life  of  all  things.  This 
was  followed  by  a  period  of  activity  for  the  Son,  when  nature  had 


CREATION   AND    RE-CREATION  45 

become  unnatural  and  fallen  man  a  subject  for  redemption.  Lastly, 
came  that  of  the  Holy  Spirit  regenerating  and  sanctifying  the 
redeemed  on  the  ground  of  the  work  of  Christ. 

According  to  this  view,  in  childhood,  when  eating,  drinking,  and 
playing  occupied  all  our  time,  we  had  to  do  with  the  Father.  Later, 
when  the  conviction  of  sin  dawned  upon  us,  we  felt  the  need  of  the 
Son.  And  not  until  the  life  of  sanctification  had  begun  in  us  did 
the  Holy  Spirit  begin  to  take  notice  of  us.  Hence  while  the  Father 
wrought,  the  Son  and  the  Holy  Spirit  were  inactive ;  when  the  Son 
undertook  His  work,  the  Father  and  the  Holy  Spirit  were  inactive ; 
and  now  since  the  Holy  Spirit  alone  performs  the  work,  the  Father 
and  the  Son  are  idle.  But  since  this  view  of  God  is  wholly  unten- 
able, Sabellius,  who  elaborated  it  philosophically,  came  to  the  con- 
clusion that  Father,  Son,  and  Holy  Ghost  were  after  all  but  one 
Person;  who  first  wrought  in  creation  as  Father,  then  having 
become  the  Son  wrought  out  our  redemption,  and  now  as  the  Holy 
Spirit  perfects  our  sanctification. 

And  yet,  inadmissible  as  this  view  may  be.  it  is  more  reverent 
and  God-fearing  than  the  crude  superficialities  of  the  current  views 
that  confine  the  Spirit's  operations  entirely  to  the  elect,  beginning 
only  at  their  regeneration. 

True,  sermons  on  creation  referred,  in  passing,  to  the  moving  of 
the  Holy  Spirit  on  the  face  of  the  waters,  and  His  coming  upon 
Bezaleel  and  Aholiab  is  treated  in  the  catechetical  class ;  but  the 
two  are  not  connected,  and  the  hearer  is  never  made  to  understand 
what  the  Author  of  our  regeneration  had  to  do  with  the  moving 
upon  the  waters;  they  were  merely  isolated  facts.  Regeneration 
was  the  principal  work  of  the  Holy  Spirit. 

Our  Reformed  theologians  have  always  warned  against  such 
representations,  which  are  only  the  result  of  making  man  the  start- 
ing-point in  the  contemplation  of  divine  things.  They  always 
made  God  Himself  the  starting-point,  and  were  not  satisfied  until 
the  work  of  the  Holy  Spirit  was  clearly  seen  in  all  its  stages, 
throughout  the  ages,  and  in  the  heart  of  every  creature.  Without 
this  the  Holy  Spirit  could  not  be  God,  the  object  of  their  adoration. 
They  felt  that  such  superficial  treatment  would  lead  to  a  denial  of 
His  personality,  reducing  Him  to  a  mere  force. 

Hence  we  have  spared  no  pain,  and  omitted  no  detail,  in  order, 
by  the  grace  of  God,  to  place  before  the  Church  two  distinct 
thoughts,  viz. : 


46  RE-CREATION 

First,  The  work  of  the  Holy  Spirit  is  not  confined  to  the  elect,  and  does 
not  begin  with  their  regeneration  ;  but  it  touches  every  creature,  animate 
and  inanimate,  and  begins  its  operations  in  the  elect  at  the  very  moment 
of  their  origin. 

Second,  The  proper  work  of  the  Holy  Spirit  in  every  creature  consists 
in  the  quickening  and  sustaining  of  life  with  reference  to  his  being  and 
talents,  and,  in  its  highest  sense,  with  reference  to  eternal  life,  which  is 
his  salvation. 

Thus  we  have  regained  the  true  standpoint  requisite  for  consid- 
ering the  work  of  the  Holy  Spirit  in  the  re-creation.  For  thus  it 
appears : 

First,  that  this  work  of  re-creation  is  not  performed  in  fallen 
man  independently  of  his  original  creation ;  but  that  the  Holy 
Spirit,  who  in  regeneration  kindles  the  spark  of  eternal  life,  has 
already  kindled  and  sustained  the  spark  of  natural  life.  And, 
again,  that  the  Holy  Spirit,  who  imparts  unto  man  born  from 
above  gifts  necessary  to  sanctification  and  to  his  calling  in  the 
new  sphere  of  life,  has  in  the  first  creation  endowed  him  with 
natural  gifts  and  talents. 

From  this  follows  that  fruitful  confession  of  the  unity  of  man's 
life  before  and  after  the  new  birth  which  nips  every  form  of 
Methodism*  in  its  very  root,  and  which  characterizes  the  doctrine 
of  the  Reformed  churches. 

Second,  it  is  evident  that  the  work  of  the  Holy  Spirit  bears  the 
same  character  in  creation  and  re-creation.  If  we  admit  that  He 
quickens  life  in  that  which  is  created  by  the  Father  and  by  the  Son, 
what  does  He  do  in  the  re-creation  but  once  more  quicken  life  in 
him  that  is  called  of  the  Father  and  redeemed  by  the  Son?  Again, 
if  the  Spirit's  work  is  God's  touching  the  creature's  being  by  Him, 
what  is  re-creation  but  the  Spirit  entering  man's  heart,  making  it 
His  temple,  comforting,  animating,  and  sanctifying  it.> 

Thus  following  the  Sacred  Scripture  and  the  superior  theolo- 
gians, we  reach  a  confession  that  maintains  the  unity  of  the  Spirit's 
work,  and  makes  it  unite  organically  the  natural  and  the  spiritual 
life,  the  realm  of  nature  and  that  of  grace. 

Of  course  His  work  in  the  latter  surpasses  that  in  the  former: 

First,  since  it  is  His  work  to  touch  the  inward  being  of  the  crea- 

*  For  the  sense  in  which  the  author  takes  Methodism,  see  section  5  in 
the  Preface. 


CREATION    AND    RE-CREATION  47 

ture,  the  more  tender  and  natural  the  contact  the  more  glorious  the 
work.  Hence  it  appears  more  beautiful  in  man  than  in  the  animal ; 
and  more  lustrous  in  the  spiritual  man  than  in  the  natural,  since  the 
contact  with  the  former  is  more  intimate,  the  fellowship  sweeter, 
the  union  complete. 

Secondly,  since  creation  lies  so  far  behind  us  and  re-creation 
touches  us  personally  and  daily,  the  Word  of  God  directs  more 
attention  to  the  latter,  claiming  for  it  more  prominence  in  our  con- 
fession. But,  however  different  the  measures  of  operation  and  of 
energy,  the  Holy  Spirit  remains  in  creation  and  re-creation  the  one 
omnipotent  Worker  of  all  life  and  quickening,  and  is  therefore 
worthy  of  all  praise  and  adoration. 


X. 
Organic  and  Individual. 

"  Where  is  He  that  put  His  Holy  Spirit 
among  them  ? " — Isa.  Ixiii.  ii. 

The  subsequent  activity  of  the  Holy  Spirit  lies  in  the  realm  of 
grace. 

In  nature  the  Spirit  of  God  appears  as  creating,  in  grace  as 
re-creating.  We  call  it  ri?-creation,  because  God's  grace  creates  not 
something  inherently  new,  but  a  new  life  in  an  old  and  degraded 
nature. 

But  this  must  not  be  understood  as  tho  grace  restored  only  what 
sin  had  destroyed.  For  then  the  child  of  God,  born  anew  and  sancti- 
fied, must  be  as  Adam  was  in  Paradise  before  the  fall.  Many  under- 
stand it  so,  and  present  it  as  follows :  In  Paradise  Adam  became 
diseased;  the  poison  of  eternal  corruption  entered  his  soul  and 
penetrated  his  whole  being.  Now  comes  the  Holy  Spirit  as  the 
physician,  carrying  the  remedy  of  grace  to  heal  him.  He  pours 
the  balm  into  his  wounds.  He  heals  his  bruises  and  renews  his 
youth;  and  thus  man,  born  again,  healed,  and  renewed,  is,  according 
to  their  view,  precisely  what  the  first  man  was  in  the  state  of  recti- 
tude. Once  more  the  provisions  of  the  covenant  of  works  are  laid 
upon  him.  By  his  good  works  he  is  again  to  inherit  eternal  life. 
Again  he  may  fall  like  Adam  and  become  a  prey  of  eternal  death. 

But  this  whole  view  is  wrong.  Grace  does  not  place  the  ungodly 
in  a  state  of  rectitude,  but  justifies  him — two  very  different  things. 
He  that  stands  in  a  state  of  rectitude  has  certainly  an  original 
righteousness,  but  this  he  may  lose;  he  may  be  tried  and  fail  as 
Adam  failed.  He  must  vindicate  his  righteousness.  Its  inward 
consistency  must  discover  itself.  He  who  is  righteous  to-day  may 
be  unrighteous  to-morrow. 

But  when  God  justifies  a  sinner  He  puts  Him  in  a  totally  differ- 
ent state.  The  righteousness  of  Christ  becomes  his.  And  what  is 
this  righteousness?    Was  Jesus  in  a  state  of  rectitude  only?    In  no 


ORGANIC   AND    INDIVIDUAL  49 

wise.  His  righteousness  was  tested,  tried,  and  sifted:  it  was  even 
tested  by  the  consuming  fire  of  God's  wrath.  And  this  righteous- 
ness converted  from  "  original  rectitude  "  into  "  righteousness  vindicated" 
was  imputed  to  the  ungodly. 

Therefore  the  ungodly,  when  justified  by  grace,  has  nothing  to 
do  with  Adam's  ^toX^  before  the  fall,  but  occupies  the  position  of 
Jesus  after  the  resurrection.  He  possesses  a  good  that  can  not  be 
lost.  He  works  no  more  for  wages,  but  the  inheritance  is  his  own. 
His  works,  zeal,  love,  and  praise  flow  not  from  his  own  poverty, 
but  from  the  overflowing  fulness  of  the  life  that  was  obtained  for 
him.  As  it  is  often  expressed:  For  Adam  in  Paradise  there  was 
first  work  and  then  the  Sabbath  of  rest ;  but  for  the  ungodly  justi- 
fied by  grace  the  Sabbath  rest  comes  first,  and  then  the  labor  which 
flows  from  the  energies  of  that  Sabbath.  In  the  beginning  the 
week  closed  with  the  Sabbath ;  for  us  the  day  of  the  resurrection  of 
Christ  opens  the  week  which  feeds  upon  the  powers  of  that  resur- 
rection. 

Hence  the  great  and  glorious  work  of  re-creation  has  two  parts : 

First,  the  removing  of  corruption,  the  healing  of  the  breach,  the 
death  to  sin,  the  atonement  for  guilt. 

Second,  the  reversing  of  the  first  order,  the  changing  of  the 
entire  state,  the  bringing  in  and  establishing  of  a  new  order. 

The  last  is  of  greatest  importance.  For  many  teach  differently. 
Altho  they  grant  that  a  new-born  child  of  God  is  not  precisely  what 
Adam  was  before  the  fall,  yet  they  see  the  difference  only  in  the 
reception  of  a  higher  nature.  The  state  is  the  same,  differing  only 
in  degree.  This  is  the  current  theory.  This  nature  of  higher 
degree  is  called  the  "  divine-human"  which  Christ  bears  in  His  Per- 
son, which  being  consolidated  by  His  Passion  and  Resurrection  is 
now  imparted  to  the  new-born  soul,  raising  the  lower  and  degraded 
nature  to  this  higher  life. 

This  theory  directly  conflicts  with  the  Scripture,  which  never 
speaks  of  conditions  similar  yet  differing  in  degree  and  power,  but 
of  a  condition  sometimes  far  inferior  in  power  and  degree  to  that  of 
Adam,  but  transferred  into  an  entirely  different  order. 

For  this  reason  the  Scripture  and  the  Confession  of  our  fathers 
emphasize  the  doctrine  of  the  Covenants;  for  the  difference  be- 
tween the  Covenant  of  Works  and  of  Grace  shows  the  difference 
between  the  two  orders  of  spiritual  things.  They  who  teach  that 
the  new  birth  merely  imparts  a  higher  nature  remain  under  the 
4 


50  RE-CREATION 

Covenant  of  Works.  Theirs  is  the  wearisome  toil  of  rolling  the 
Sisyphus  stone  up  the  mountain,  even  tho  it  be  with  the  greater 
energy  of  the  higher  life.  The  Scriptural  doctrine  of  Grace  ends 
this  impossible  Sisyphus  task ;  it  transfers  the  Covenant  of  Works 
from  our  shoulders  to  Christ's,  and  opens  unto  us  a  new  order  in 
the  Covenant  of  Grace  in  which  there  can  be  no  more  uncertainty 
or  fear,  loss  or  forfeit  of  the  benefits  of  Christ,  but  of  which 
Wisdom  doth  cry,  "and  Understanding  putteth  forth  her  voice, 
standing  in  the  top  of  high  places,"  saying  that  all  things  are  now 
ready. 

The  work  of  re-creation  has  this  peculiarity,  that  it  places  the 
elect  at  once  at  the  end  of  the  road.  They  are  not  like  the  traveler 
still  half  way  from  home,  but  like  one  who  has  finished  his  journey; 
the  long,  dreary,  ^nd  dangerous  road  is  entirely  behind  him.  Of 
course,  he  did  not  run  that  road ;  he  could  never  have  reached  the 
goal.  His  Mediator  and  Daysman  traveled  it  for  him  and  in  his 
stead.  And  by  mystic  union  with  his  Savior  it  is  as  tho  he  had 
traveled  the  whole  distance ;  not  as  we  reckon,  but  as  God  reckons. 

This  will  show  why  the  work  of  the  Holy  Spirit  appears  more 
powerful  in  re-creation  than  in  creation.  For  what  is  the  road 
spoken  of,  but  that  which  leads  from  the  center  of  our  degenerate 
hearts  to  the  center  of  the  loving  heart  of  God?  All  godliness  aims 
to  bring  man  into  communion  with  God;  hence  to  make  him  travel 
the  road  between  him  and  God.  Man  is  the  only  being  on  earth  in 
whom  contact  with  God  means  conscious  fellowship.  Since  this 
fellowship  is  broken  by  the  alienation  of  sin,  at  the  end  of  the  road 
the  contact  and  fellowship  must  be  perfect,  so  far  as  concerns 
man's  state  and  principle.  If  fellowship  is  the  terminus  and- God's 
grace  puts  His  child  there  at  once,  at  least  so  far  as  his  state  is  con- 
cerned, there  is  an  obvious  difference  between  him  and  the  unre- 
generate ;  for  the  latter  is  infinitely  distant  from  God,  while  the 
former  has  sweetest  fellowship  with  Him.  Since  it  is  the  inward 
operation  of  the  Holy  Spirit  that  accomplishes  this.  His  hand  must 
appear  more  powerful  and  glorious  in  re-creation  than  in  creation. 

If  we  could  see  His  work  in  re-creation  all  at  once  as  an  accom- 
plished fact,  we  should  understand  it  more  thoroughly,  and  escape 
the  difficulties  that  we  now  meet  in  comparing  the  Old  Testament 
with  the  New  regarding  it. 

Re-creation  brings  to  us  that  which  is  eternal,  finished,  perfected. 


ORGANIC    AND    INDIVIDUAL  51 

completed;  far  above  the  succession  of  moments,  the  course  of 
years,  and  the  development  of  circumstances.  Here  lies  the  diffi- 
culty. This  eternal  work  must  be  brought  to  a  temporal  world,  to  a 
race  which  is  in  process  of  development;  hence  that  work  must 
make  history,  increasing  like  a  plant,  growing,  blossoming,  and 
bearing  fruit.  And  this  history  must  include  a  time  oi  preparation, 
revelation,  and  lastly  of  filling  the  earth  with  the  streams  of  grace, 
salvation,  and  blessing. 

If  it  did  not  relate  to  man  but  to  irrational  beings,  there  would 
be  no  difficulty ;  but  when  it  began  its  course  man  was  already  in 
the  world,  and  as  the  ages  passed  the  stream  of  humanity  broad- 
ened. Hence  the  important  question:  Whether  the  generations 
that  lived  during  the  long  period  of  preparation  before  Christ,  in 
whom  the  work  of  re-creation  was  finally  revealed,  were  partakers 
of  its  blessings? 

The  Scripture  answers  affirmatively.  In  the  ages  before  Christ 
God's  elect  shared  the  blessings  of  the  work  of  re-creation.  Abel 
and  Enoch,  Noah  and  Abraham,  Moses  and  David,  Isaiah  and 
Daniel  were  saved  by  the  same  faith  as  Peter,  Paul,  Luther,  and 
Calvin.  The  Covenant  of  Grace,  altho  made  with  Abraham  and  for 
a  time  connected  with  the  national  life  of  Israel,  existed  already  in 
Paradise.  The  theologians  of  the  Reformed  churches  have  clearly 
unfolded  the  truth,  that  God's  elect  of  both  Dispensations  entered 
the  same  gate  of  righteousness  and  walked  the  same  way  of  salva- 
tion which  they  still  walk  to  the  marriage-supper  of  the  Lamb. 

But  how  could  Abraham,  living  so  many  years  before  Christ,  in 
whom  alone  grace  and  truth  have  been  revealed,  have  his  faith 
accounted  unto  him  for  righteousness,  so  that  he  saw  the  day  of 
Jesus  and  was  glad? 

This  difficulty  has  confused  many  minds  regarding  the  Old  and 
New  Dispensations,  and  causes  many  vainly  to  ask :  How  could  there 
be  any  saving  operation  of  the  Holy  Spirit  in  the  Old  Testament  if 
He  were  poured  out  only  on  Pentecost?  The  answer  is  found  in 
the  almost  unsearchable  work  of  the  Holy  Spirit,  whereby,  on  the 
one  hand.  He  brought  into  the  history  of  our  race  that  eternal  sal- 
vation already  finished  and  complete  which  must  run  through  the 
periods  of  preparation,  revelation,  and  fruit-bearing;  and  whereby, 
on  the  other  hand,  during  the  preparatory  period,  this  very  prepa- 
ration was  made  the  means,  through  wondrous  grace,  of  saving 
souls  even  before  the  Incarnation  of  the  Word. 


XI. 
The  Church  Before  and  After  Christ. 

"  All  these  having  obtained  a  good 
report  through  faith,  received  not 
the  promise." — Heb.  xi.  39. 

Clearness  requires  to  distinguish  two  operations  of  the  Holy 
Spirit  in  the  work  of  re-creation  before  the  Advent,  viz.,  (i)  pre- 
paring redemption  for  the  whole  Church,  and  (2)  regenerating  and 
sanctifying  the  saints  then  living. 

If  there  had  been  no  elect  before  Christ,  so  that  He  had  no 
church  until  Pentecost;  and  if,  like  Balaam  and  Saul,  the  bearers 
of  the  Old  Testament  revelation  had  been  without  personal  interest 
in  Messiah,  then  it  is  self-evident  that,  before  the  Advent,  the  Holy 
Spirit  could  have  had  but  one  work  of  re-creation,  viz.,  the  prepara- 
tion of  the  coming  salvation.  But  since  God  had  a  church  from  the 
beginning  of  the  world,  and  nearly  all  the  bearers  of  the  revelation 
were  partakers  of  His  salvation,  the  Spirit's  re-creative  work  must 
consist  of  two  parts :  first,  of  the  preparation  of  redemption  for  the 
whole  Church ;  and,  secondly,  of  the  sanctification  and  consolation 
of  the  Old  Testament  saints. 

However,  these  two  operations  are  not  independent,  like  two 
separate  water-courses,  but  are  like  drops  of  rain  falling  in  the 
same  stream  of  revelation.  They  are  not  even  like  two  streams  of 
different  colors  mingling  in  the  same  river-bed;  for  neither  did  the 
one  contain  anything  for  the  Church  of  the  future  which  had  not 
meaning  also  for  the  saints  of  the  Old  Covenant;  nor  did  the  latter 
receive  any  revelation  or  commandment  without  significance  also 
for  the  Church  of  the  New  Covenant.  The  Holy  Spirit  so  inter- 
wove and  interlaced  this  twofold  work  that  what  was  the  preparing 
of  redemption  for  us,  was  at  the  same  time  revelation  and  exercise 
of  faith  for  the  Old  Testament  saints;  while,  on  the  other  hand,  He 
used  their  personal  life,  conflict,  suffering,  and  hope  as  the  canvas 
upon  which  He  embroidered  the  revelation  of  redemption  for  us. 


THE  CHURCH  BEFORE  AND  AFTER  CHRIST     53 

Not  that  the  revelation  of  old  did  not  contain  a  large  element 
that  had  a  different  sense  and  purpose  for  them  from  what  it  has 
for  us.  Before  Christ,  the  entire  service  of  types  and  shadows  had 
significance  which  it  lost  immediately  after  the  Advent.  To  con- 
tinue it  after  the  Advent  would  be  equivalent  to  a  denial  and  repu- 
diation of  His  coming.  One's  shadow  goes  before  him;  when  he 
steps  into  the  light  the  shadow  disappears.  Hence  the  Holy  Spirit 
performed  a  special  work  for  the  saints  of  God  by  giving  them  a 
temporary  service  of  types  and  shadows. 

That  this  service  overshadowed  all  their  life  made  its  impres- 
sion all  the  stronger.  This  shadow  lay  upon  Israel's  entire  history ; 
was  outlined  in  all  their  men  from  Abraham  to  John  the  Baptist; 
fell  upon  the  judicial  and  political  systems,  and  more  heavily  upon 
the  social  and  domestic  life ;  and  in  purest  images  lay  upon  the  serv- 
ice of  worship.  Hence  the  Old  Testament  passages  which  refer  to 
this  service  have  not  the  meaning  for  us  which  they  had  for  them, 
Every  feature  of  it  had  a  binding  force  for  them.  On  the  contrary, 
we  do  not  circumcise  our  boys,  but  baptize  our  children ;  we  do  not 
eat  the  Passover,  nor  observe  the  Feast  of  Tabernacles,  nor  sacrifice 
the  blood  of  bulls  or  heifers,  as  every  discriminating  reader  of  the 
Old  Testament  understands.  And  they  who  in  the  New  Testament 
Dispensation  seek  to  reintroduce  tithing,  or  to  restore  the  kingdom 
and  the  judiciary  of  the  days  of  the  Old  Testanie?it,  undertake,  ac- 
cording to  past  experience,  a  hopeless  task:  their  efforts  show  poor 
success,  and  their  whole  attitude  proves  that  they  do  not  enjoy  the 
full  measure  of  the  liberty  of  the  children  of  God.  Actually  all 
Christians  agree  in  this,  acknowledging  that  the  relation  which  we 
sustain  toward  the  law  of  Moses  is  altogether  different  from  that 
of  ancient  Israel. 

The  Decalogue  alone  is  occasionally  cause  of  contention,  espe- 
cially the  Fourth  Commandment.  There  are  still  Christians  who 
allow  no  difference  between  that  which  has  a  passing,  ceremonial 
character  and  that  which  is  perpetually  ethical,  and  who  seek  to 
substitute  the  last  day  of  the  week  for  the  Day  of  the  Lord. 

However,  leaving  these  serious  differences  alone,  we  repeat  that 
the  Holy  Spirit  had  a  special  work  in  the  days  before  Christ,  which 
was  intended  for  the  saints  of  those  days,  but  which  has  lost  for  us 
all  its  former  significance. 

Not,  however,  that  we  may  therefore  discard  this  work  of  the 
Holy  Spirit,  and  that  the  books  containing  these  things  may  be  left 


54  RE-CREATION 

unread.  This  view  has  obtained  currency  especially  in  Germany, 
where  the  Old  Testament  is  less  read  than  even  the  books  of  the 
Apocrypha,  with  the  exception  of  the  Psalms  and  a  few  selected 
pericopes.  On  the  contrary,  this  service  of  shadows  has  even  in 
the  smallest  details  a  special  significance  to  the  New  Testament 
Church ;  only  the  significance  is  different. 

This  service  in  the  history  of  the  Old  Covenant  witnesses  to  us 
the  wonderful  deeds  of  God,  whereby  of  infinite  mercy  He  has 
delivered  us  from  the  power  of  death  and  hell.  In  "Ca.^  personalities 
of  the  Old  Covenant  it  reveals  the  wonderful  work  of  God  in  im- 
planting and  preserving  faith  in  spite  of  human  depravity  and  Sa- 
tanic opposition.  The  service  of  ceremonies  in  the  sanctuary  shows 
us  the  image  of  Christ  and  of  His  glorious  redemption  in  the  minu- 
test details.  And  finally,  the  service  of  shadows  in  Israel' s  political, 
social,.a,nd.  domestic  life  reveals  to  us  those  divine,  eternal,  and  un- 
changeable principles  that,  set  free  from  their  transient  and  tem- 
poral forms,  ought  to  govern  the  political  and  social  life  of  the 
Christian  nations  throughout  all  ages. 

And  yet  this  does  not  exhaust  the  significance  that  this  service 
always  had,  and  still  has,  for  the  Christian  Church. 

Not  only  does  it  reveal  to  us  the  outlines  of  the  spiritual  house 
of  God,  but  it  actually  operated  in  our  salvation : 

First,  it  prepared  and  preserved  amid  heathen  idolatry  a  people 
which,  as  bearers  of  the  divine  oracles,  offered  the  Christ  at  His 
coming  a  place  for  the  sole  of  His  foot  and  a  base  of  operations.'^ 
He  could  no  more  have  come  to  Athens  or  Rome  than  to  China  or 
India.  No  one  there  could  have  understood  Him,  or  have  furnished 
instrument  or  material  to  build  the  Church  of  the  New  Covenant. 
The  salvation  which  was  cast  like  a  ripe  fruit  into  the  lap  of  the 
Christian  Church  had  grown  upon  a  tree  deeply  rooted  in  this  serv- 
ice of  shadows.  Hence  the  history  of  that  period  is  part  of  our 
own,  as  the  life  of  our  childhood  and  youth  remains  ours,  even  tho 
as  men  we  have  put  away  childish  things. 

Secondly,  the  knowledge  of  this  service  and  history,  being  parts 
of  the  Word  of  God,  were  instrumental  in  translating  God's  children 
from  nature's  darkness  into  His  marvelous  light. 

However,  as  the  Holy  Spirit  performed  special  work  for  the 
saints  of  those  days  that  has  a  different  tho  not  less  important 

*  In  Dutch,  "  life-center . " 


THE  CHURCH  BEFORE  AND  AFTER  CHRIST     55 

significance  for  us,  so  also  He  performed  a  work  in  those  days  that 
was  intended  more  directly  for  the  Church  of  the  New  Testament, 
which  also  had  a  different  but  not  less  important  significance  for 
the  saints  of  the  Old  Covenant.     This  was  the  work  of  Prophecy. 

As  Christ  declares,  the  purpose  of  prophecy  is  to  predict  future 
things  so  that,  the  events  predicted  having  come  to  pass,  the  Church 
may  believe  and  confess  that  it  was  the  Lord's  work.  The  Old  Testa- 
ment often  states  this,  and  the  Lord  Jesus  declared  it  to  His  disci- 
ples, saying:  "And  now  I  have  told  you,  before  it  come  to  pass 
that,  when  it  is  come  to  pass,  ye  might  believe"  (John  xiv.  29). 
And  again :  "  Now  I  tell  you  before  it  come  to  pass,  that  when  it  is 
come  to  pass  ye  may  believe  that  I  am  He"  (John  xiii.  19).  And 
still  more  clearly:  "But  these  things  have  I  told  you,  that  when 
the  time  shall  come,  ye  may  remember  that  I  told  you  of  them." 
These  statements,  compared  with  the  words  of  Isa.  xli.  23,  xlii- 
9,  and  xliii.  19,  leave  no  doubt  as  to  the  design  of  prophecy. 

Not  that  this  exhausts  prophecy,  or  that  it  has  no  other  aims;  but 
its  chief  and  final  end  is  reached  only  when,  on  the  ground  of  its 
fulfilment,  the  Church  believes  its  God  and  Savior  and  magnifies 
Him  in  His  mighty  acts. 

But  while  its  center  of  gravity  is  the  fulfilment,  i.e.,  in  the 
Church  of  the  New  Testament,  it  was  equally  intended  for  contem- 
porary saints.  For,  apart  from  the  prophetic  activities  that  re- 
ferred solely  to  the  people  of  Israel  living  at  that  time,  and  the 
prophecies  fulfilled  in  Israel's  national  life,  prophecy  even  as  boldly 
outlining  Christ  yielded  precious  fruit  for  the  Old  Testament  saints. 
Connected  with  theophanies  it  produced  in  their  minds  such  a  fixed 
and  tangible  form  of  the  Messiah  that  fellowship  with  Him,  which 
alone  is  essential  to  salvation,  was  made  possible  to  them  by  antici- 
pation, as  to  us  by  memory.  Not  only  did  this  fellowship  become 
possible  at  the  end  of  the  Dispensation,  in  Isaiah  and  Zacharias; 
Christ  testifies  that  Abraham  desired  to  see  His  day,  saw  it,  and 
was  glad. 


Ifourtb  Cbapten 

THE  HOLY  SCRIPTURE  OF  THE  OLD   TESTA- 

MENT. 


XII. 
The  Holy  Scripture. 


"  All  Scripture  is  given  by  inspiration  of 
God,  and  is  profitable  for  doctrine,  for 
reproof,  for  correction,  for  instruction 
in  righteousness ;  that  the  man  of  God 
may  be  perfect,  thoroughly  furnished 
unto  all  good  works." — 2  Tim,  iii. 
16,  17. 

Among  the  divine  works  of  art  produced  by  the  Holy  Spirit,  the 
Sacred  Scripture  stands  first.  It  may  seem  incredible  that  the 
printed  pages  of  a  book  should  excel  His  spiritual  work  in  human 
hearts,  yet  we  assign  to  the  Sacred  Scripture  the  most  conspicuous 
place  without  hesitation. 

Objectors  can  never  have  considered  what  this  holy  Book  is,  or 
any  other  book,  writing,  or  language  is,  or  what  the  putting  down  of 
a  world  of  thought  in  a  collection  of  Sacred  Scripture  means.  We 
deny  that  a  book,  especially  such  as  the  Sacred  Scripture,  opposes 
a  world  of  divine  thought,  the  current  of  life,  and  spiritual  experi- 
ence. A  book  is  not  merely  paper  printed  in  ink,  but  is  like  a 
portrait — a  collection  of  lines  and  features  in  which  we  see  the  like- 
ness of  a  person.  Standing  near,  we  see  not  the  person,  but  spots 
and  lines  of  paint;  but  at  the  right  distance  these  disappear  and  we 
see  the  likeness  of  a  person.  Even  now  it  does  not  speak  to  us,  for 
it  is  the  face  of  a  stranger;  we  may  be  able  to  judge  the  man's 
character,  yet  he  fails  to  interest  us.  But  let  his  child  look,  and 
instantly  the  image  which  left  us  cold  appeals  to  him  with  warmth 


THE    HOLY    SCRIPTURE  57 

and  life,  which  were  invisible  to  us  because  our  hearts  lacked  the 
essentials.  What  appeals  to  the  child  is  not  in  the  picture,  but  in 
his  memory  and  imagination;  the  cooperation  of  the  features  in 
the  painting  and  the  father's  image  in  his  heart  makes  the  likeness 
speak. 

This  comparison  will  explain  the  mysterious  effect  of  the  Scrip- 
ture. Guido  de  Bres  spoke  of  it  in  his  debates  with  the  Baptists ; 
"  That  which  we  call  Holy  Scripture  is  not  paper  with  black  im- 
pressions, but  that  which  addresses  our  spirits  by  means  of  those 
impressions."  Those  letters  are  but  tokens  of  recognition;  those 
words  are  only  the  clicks  of  the  telegraph-key  signaling  thoughts 
to  our  spirits  along  the  lines  of  our  visual  and  auditory  nerves. 
And  the  thoughts  so  signaled  are  not  isolated  and  incoherent,  but 
parts  of  a  complete  system  that  is  directly  antagonistic  to  man's 
thoughts,  yet  enters  their  sphere. 

Reading  the  Scripture  brings  to  our  minds  the  sphere  of  divine 
thoughts  so  far  as  needful  for  us  as  sinners,  in  order  to  glorify  God, 
love  our  neighbor,  and  save  the  soul.  This  is  not  a  mere  collection 
of  beautiful  and  glttering  ideas,  but  the  reflection  of  the  divine  life. 
In  God  life  and  thought  are  united :  there  can  be  no  life  without 
thought,  no  thought  not  the  product  of  life.  Not  so  with  us. 
Falsehood  entered  us,  i.e.,  we  can  sever  thought  from  life.  Or 
rather,  they  are  always  severed,  unless  we  have  voluntarily  estab- 
lished the  former  unity.  Hence  our  cold  abstractions;  our  speak- 
ing without  doing;  our  words  without  power;  our  thoughts  without 
working;  our  books  that,  like  plants  cut  off  from  their  .^oots,  wither 
before  they  can  blossom,  much  less  bear  fruit. 

The  difference  between  divine  and  human  life  gives  Scripture 
its  uniqueness  and  precludes  antagonism  between  its  letter  and  its 
spirit,  such  as  a  false  exegesis  of  2  Cor.  iii.  6  might  suggest.  If 
the  Word  of  God  were  dominated  by  the  falsehood  that  has  crept 
into  our  hearts,  and  in  the  midst  of  our  misery  continues  to  place 
word  and  life  in  opposition  as  well  as  separation,  then  we  would 
take  refuge  in  the  standpoint  of  our  dissenting  brethren,  with  their 
exaltation  of  the  life  above  the  Word.  But  we  need  not  do  so,  for 
the  opposition  and  separation  are  not  in  the  Scripture.  For  this 
reason  it  is  the  Holy  Scripture ;  for  it  was  not  lost  in  the  unholy 
tearing  asunder  of  thought  and  life,  and  is  therefore  distinct  from 
writings  in  which  yawns  the  gulf  between  the  words  and  the  reality 
of  life.     What  other  writings  lack  is  in  this  Book ;  perfect  agree- 


S8     HOLY  SCRIPTURE  OF  THE  OLD  TESTAMENT 

ment  between  the  life  reflected  in  the  divine  thought  and  the 
thoughts  which  the  Word  begets  in  our  minds. 

The  Holy  Scripture  is  like  a  diamond:  in  the  dark  it  is  like  a 
piece  of  glass,  but  as  soon  as  the  light  strikes  it  the  water  begins 
to  sparkle,  and  the  scintillation  of  life  greets  us.  So  the  Word 
of  God  apart  from  the  divine  life  is  valueless,  unworthy  even  of  the 
name  of  Sacred  Scripture.  It  exists  only  in  connection  with  this 
divine  life,  from  which  it  imparts  life-giving  thoughts  to  our  minds. 
It  is  like  the  fragrance  of  a  flower-bed  that  refreshes  us  only  when 
the  flowers  and  our  organs  of  smell  correspond.  Hence  the  illus- 
tration of  the  child  and  his  father's  picture  is  exact. 

While  the  Bible  always  flashes  thoughts  born  of  the  divine  life, 
yet  the  effects  are  not  the  same  in  all.  As  a  whole,  it  is  the  portrait 
of  Him  who  is  the  brightness  of  God's  glory  and  the  express  image 
of  His  Person,  aiming  either  to  show  us  His  likeness  or  to  serve  as 
its  background. 

Notice  the  difference  when  a  child  of  God  and  an  alien  face  that 
image.  Not  as  tho  it  has  nothing  to  say  to  the  unregenerate — this 
is  a  mistake  of  Methodism  which  should  be  corrected.*  It  addresses 
itself  to  all  men  as  the  King's  Word,  and  every  one  must  receive 
its  impress  in  his  own  way.  But  while  the  alien  sees  only  a  strange 
face,  which  annoys  him,  contradicts  his  world,  and  so  repels  him,  the 
child  of  God  understands  and  recognizes  it.  He  is  in  holiest  sym- 
pathy with  the  life  of  the  world  from  which  that  image  greets  him. 
Thus  reading  what  the  stranger  could  not  read,  he  feels  that  God 
is  speaking  to  him,  whispering  peace  to  his  soul. 

Not  as  tho  the  Scripture  were  only  a  system  of  signals  to  flash 
thought  into  the  soul ;  rather  it  is  the  instrument  of  God  to  awaken 
and  increase  spiritual  life,  not  as  by  magic,  giving  a  sort  of  attes- 
tation of  the  genuineness  of  our  experience — a  fanatical  view  al- 
ways opposed  and  rejected  by  the  Church — but  by  the  Holy  Spirit 
through  the  use  of  the  Word  of  God. 

He  regenerates  us  by  the  Word.  The  mode  of  this  operation 
will  be  discussed  later  on ;  let  it  suffice  here  to  say  that  the  opera- 
tions of  the  Word  and  the  Holy  Spirit  never  oppose  each  other, 
but,  as  St.  Paul  declares  emphatically,  that  the  Holy  Scripture  is 
prepared  by  the  Spirit  of  God  and  given  to  the  Church  as  an  instru- 
ment to  perfect  God's  work  in  man;  as  he  expresses  it;  **  That  the 

*  For  the  author's  sense  of  Methodism,  see  section  s  in  the  Preface. 


THE   HOLY   SCRIPTURE 


59 


man  of  God  may  be  perfect  "  i.e.,  a  man  formerly  of  the  world,  made 
a  man  of  God  by  divine  act,  to  be  perfected  by  the  Holy  Spirit; 
wherefore  he  is  already  perfect  in  Christ  through  the  Word.  To 
this  end,  as  St.  Paul  declares,  the  Scripture  was  inspired  of  God. 
Hence  this  work  of  art  was  prepared  by  the  Holy  Spirit  to  lead  the 
new-born  man  to  this  high  ideal.  And  to  emphasize  the  thought 
he  adds :  "  That  he  may  be  thoroughly  furnished  unto  all  good 
works." 

Hence  Scripture  serves  this  twofold  purpose :  * 

First,  as  an  instrument  of  the  Holy  Spirit  in  His  work  upon 
man's  heart. 

Secondly,  to  qualify  man  perfectly  and  to  equip  him  for  every 
good  work. 

Consequently  the  working  of  Scripture  embraces  not  only  the 
quickening  of  faith,  but  also  the  exercise  of  faith.  Therefore  instead 
of  being  a  dead-letter,  unspiritual,  mechanically  opposing  the 
spiritual  life,  it  is  the  very  fountain  of  living  water,  which,  being 
opened,  springs  up  to  eternal  life. 

Hence  the  Spirit's  preparation  and  preservation  of  Scripture  is 
not  subordinate,  but  prominent  with  reference  to  the  life  of  the 
entire  Church.  Or  to  put  it  more  clearly:  if  prophecy,  e.g.,  aims 
first  to  benefit  contemporary  generations,  and  secondly  to  be  part 
of  the  Holy  Scripture  that  is  to  minister  comfort  to  the  Church  of 
all  ages,  the  latter  is  of  infinitely  higher  importance.  Hence  the 
chief  aim  of  prophecy  was  not  to  benefit  the  people  living  at  that 
time,  and  through  Scripture  to  yield  fruit  for  us  only  indirectly, 
but  through  Scripture  to  yield  fruit  for  the  Church  of  all  ages,  and 
indirectly  to  benefit  the  Church  of  old. 


XIII. 
The  Scripture  a  Necessity. 

"For  whatsoever  things  were  written 
aforetime  wore  written  for  our  learn- 
ing, that  we  through  patience  and 
comfort  of  the  Scriptures  might 
have  hope." — Rom.  xv.  4. 

That  the  Bible  is  the  product  of  the  Chief  Artist,  the  Holy 
Spirit ;  that  He  gave  it  to  the  Church  and  that  in  the  Church  He 
uses  it  as  His  instrument,  can  not  be  over-emphasized. 

Not  as  tho  He  had  lived  in  the  Church  of  all  ages,  and  given  us 
in  Scripture  the  record  of  that  life,  its  origin  and  history,  so  that 
the  life  was  the  real  substance  and  the  Scripture  the  accident; 
rather  the  Scripture  was  the  end  of  all  that  preceded  and  the  in- 
strument of  all  that  followed. 

With  the  dawn  of  the  Day  of  days  the  Sacred  Volume  will  un- 
doubtedly disappear.  As  the  New  Jerusalem  will  need  no  sun, 
moon,  or  temple,  but  the  Lord  God  will  be  its  light,  so  will  there 
be  no  need  of  Scripture,  for  the  revelation  of  God  shall  reach  His 
elect  directly  through  the  unveiled  Word.  But  so  long  -as  the 
Church  is  on  earth,  face-to-face  communion  withheld,  and  our 
hearts  accessible  only  by  the  avenues  of  this  imperfect  existence. 
Scripture  must  remain  the  indispensable  instrument  by  which  the 
Triune  God  prepares  men's  souls  for  higher  glory. 

The  cause  of  this  lies  in  our  personality.  We  think,  we  are  self- 
conscious,  and  the  threefold  world  about  and  above  and  within  us  is 
reflected  in  our  thoughts.  The  man  of  confused  or  unformed  con- 
sciousness or  one  insane  can  not  act  as  a  man.  True,  there  are 
depths  in  our  hearts  which  the  plummet  of  our  thinking  has  not 
sounded ;  but  the  influence  that  is  to  affect  us  deeply,  clearly,  with 
outlasting  effect  upon  our  personality,  must  be  wrought  through 
our  self-consciousness. 

The  history  of  sin  proves  it.  How  did  sin  enter  the  world?  Did 
Satan  infuse  its  poison  into  man's  soul  while  he  slept?    By  no  means. 


THE    SCRIPTURE   A    NECESSITY  6i 

While  Eve  was  fully  herself,  Satan  began  to  discuss  the  matter 
with  her.  He  wrought  upon  her  consciousness  with  words  and 
representations,  and  she,  allowing  this,  drank  the  poison,  fell,  and 
dragged  her  husband  with  her.  Had  not  God  thus  foretold  it? 
Man's  fall  was  to  be  known  neither  by  his  recognized  nor  by  his 
unrecognized  emotions,  but  by  the  tree  of  knowledge  of  good  and  evil. 
The  knowledge  that  caused  his  fall  was  not  merely  abstract,  intel- 
lectual, but  vital.  Of  course  the  operating  cause  was  external,  but 
it  wrought  upon  his  consciousness  and  bore  the  form  of  knowledge. 

And  as  his  fall,  so  also  must  be  his  restoration.  Redemption 
must  come  from  without,  act  upon  our  cotisciousness,  and  bear  the 
form  of  knowledge.  To  affect  and  win  us  in  our  personality  we 
must  be  touched  in  the  very  spot  Avhere  sin  first  wounded  us,  viz., 
in  our  proud  and  haughty  self-consciousness.  And  since  our  con- 
sciousness mirrors  itself  in  a  world  of  thought — thoughts  expressed 
in  words  so  intimately  connected  as  to  form,  as  it  were,  but  one 
word — therefore  it  was  of  the  highest  necessity  that  a  new,  divine 
world  of  thought  should  speak  to  our  consciousness  in  a  Word,  i.e., 
in  a  Scripture.     And  this  is  the  work  of  Holy  Scripture. 

Our  thought-world  is  full  of  falsehood,  and  so  is  the  outer  world. 
But  one  thought-world  is  absolutely  true,  and  that  is  the  world  of 
God's  thoughts.  Into  this  world  we  must  be  brought,  and  it  into 
us  with  the  life  that  belongs  to  it,  as  brightness  to  light.  There- 
fore redemption  depends  upon  faith.  To  believe  is  to  acknowledge 
that  the  entire  world  of  thought  within  and  around  us  is  false,  and 
that  only  God's  world  of  thought  is  true  and  abiding,  and  as  such  to 
accept  and  confess  it.  So  it  is  still  the  Tree  of  knowledge.  But  the 
fruit  now  taken  and  enjoyed  grows  upon  the  inward  plant  of  self- 
emptying  and  self-denial,  whereby  we  renounce  our  own  entire 
world  of  thought,  no  longer  judging  between  good  and  evil,  but 
faithfully  repeating  what  God  teaches,  as  ever  little  children  in 
His  school. 

But  this  would  not  avail  us  if  God's  thoughts  came  in  unintelli- 
gible words,  which  would  have  been  the  case  if  the  Holy  Spirit  had 
used  mere  words.  We  know  how  hopeless  it  is  to  try  to  describe 
the  felicities  of  heaven.  Every  effort  has  been  so  far  a  failure. 
That  bliss  passes  our  imagination.  And  the  Scripture  revelation 
concerning  it  is  couched  in  earthly  imagery — as  a  Paradise,  a  Jeru- 
salem, or  a  wedding-feast — which,  beautiful  as  it  may  be,  leaves  no 


62     HOLY  SCRIPTURE  OF  THE  OLD  TESTAMENT 

clear  impressions.  We  know  heaven  must  be  beautiful  and  en- 
trancing, but  a  concrete  conception  of  it  is  out  of  the  question. 
Nor  can  we  have  clear  ideas  of  the  relation  of  the  glorified  Son  of 
man  to  the  Trinity,  His  sitting  at  the  right  hand  of  God,  the  life  of 
the  redeemed,  and  their  condition  when,  passing  from  the  cham- 
bers of  death,  they  enter  the  palace  of  the  great  King. 

Hence  if  the  Holy  Spirit  had  presented  the  world  of  divine 
thoughts  concerning  our  salvation  in  writing  directly  from  heaven, 
a  clear  conception  of  the  subject  would  have  been  impossible.  Our 
conception  would  have  been  vague  and  figurative  as  that  concern- 
ing heaven.  Hence  these  thoughts  were  not  directly  written,  but 
translated  into  the  life  of  this  world,  which  gave  'Co.qvsx  form  and  shape; 
and  thus  they  came  down  to  us  in  human  language,  in  the  pages  of 
a  book.  Without  this  there  could  not  even  be  a  language  to  em- 
body such  sacred  and  glorious  realities.  St.  Paul  had  visions,  i.e., 
he  was  freed  from  the  limitations  of  consciousness  and  enabled  to 
contemplate  heavenly  things;  but  having  returned  to  his  limita- 
tions, could  not  speak  of  what  he  had  seen,  as  he  said :  "  They  are 
unspeakable." 

And  that  the  equally  unspeakable  things  of  salvation  may  be 
rendered  expressible  in  hutnan  words,  it  pleased  God  to  bring  to  this 
world  the  life  which  originated  them ;  to  accustom  our  human  con- 
sciousness to  them,  from  it  to  draw  words  for  them,  and  thus  to 
exhibit  them  to  every  man. 

God's  thoughts  are  inseparable  from  His  life;  hence  His  life 
must  enter  the  world  before  His  thoughts,  at  least  at  first;. after- 
ward the  thoughts  became  the  vehicle  of  the  life. 

This  appears  in  the  creation  of  Adam.  The  first  man  is  created; 
after  him  men  are  born.  At  first  human  life  appeared  at  once  in 
full  stature;  from  that  life  once  introduced,  new  life  will  be  born. 
First,  new  life  originated  by  forming  Eve  from  Adam's  rib;  then, 
by  the  union  of  man  and  woman.  So  also  here.  At  first  God 
introduced  spiritual  life  into  the  world,  finished,  perfect,  by  a  mir- 
acle; afterward  differently,  since  the  thought  introduced  as  life  into 
this  world  is  pictured  to  our  view.  Henceforth  the  Holy  Spirit  will 
use  the  product  of  this  life  to  awaken  new  life. 

So  redemption  can  not  begin  with  the  gift  of  Holy  Scripture  to 
the  Church  of  the  Old  Covenant.  Such  Scripture  could  not  be  pro- 
duced until  its  content  is  wrought  out  in  life,  and  redemption  is 
obiectively  accomplished. 


THE   SCRIPTURE  A   NECESSITY  63 

But  the  two  should  not  be  separated.  Redemption  was  not  first 
completed  and  then  recorded  in  Scripture.  Such  conception  would 
be  mechanical  and  unspiritual,  directly  contradicted  by  the  nature 
of  Scripture,  which  is  living  and  life-giving.  Scripture  was  pro- 
duced spontaneously  and  gradually  by  and  from  redemption.  The 
promise  in  Paradise  already  foreshadowed  it.  For  tho  redemption 
precedes  Scripture,  yet  in  the  regeneration  of  the  first  men  the 
Word  was  not  idle ;  the  Holy  Spirit  began  with  speaking  to  man, 
acting  upon  his  consciousness.  Even  in  Paradise,  and  subsequently 
when  the  stream  of  revelation  proceeds,  a  divine  Word  always  pre- 
cedes the  life  and  is  life's  instrument,  and  a  divine  thought  intro- 
duces redemptive  work.  And  when  redemption  is  fulfilled  in 
Christ  He  appears  first  as  the  Speaker,  then  as  the  Worker.  The 
Word  that  was  from  the  beginning  reveals  Himself  to  Israel  as  the 
Seal  of  Prophecy,  saying:  "This  day  is  this  Scripture  fulfilled  in 
your  ears." 

Hence  the  work  of  the  Holy  Spirit  is  never  purely  magical  nor 
mechanical.  Even  in  the  preparatory  period  He  always  acted 
through  the  Word  in  translating  a  soul  from  death  unto  life.  How- 
ever, between  then  and  now  there  is  a  decided  difference : 

First,  then,  the  Word  came  to  the  soul  directly  by  inspiration  or 
by  a  prophet's  address.  Now,  both  these  have  ceased,  and  in  their 
stead  comes  the  Word  sealed  in  the  Sacred  Scripture,  interpreted 
by  the  Holy  Spirit  in  preaching  in  the  Church. 

Secondly,  then,  the  bringing  in  of  life  was  confined  to  Israel, 
expressed  itself  in  words  and  originated  relations  that  strictly  sepa- 
rated the  servants  of  the  only  true  God  from  the  life  of  the  world. 
Now,  this  extraordinary,  preparatory  dispensation  is  closed;  the 
Israel  of  God  are  no  more  the  natural  descendants  of  Abraham,  but 
the  spiritual ;  the  stream  of  the  Church  flows  through  all  nations 
and  peoples ;  it  stands  no  more  outside  the  world's  life  and  develop- 
ment, but  rather  governs  them. 

Thirdly,  altho  in  the  Old  Dispensation  redemption  existed 
partly  already  in  Scripture,  and  the  Psalmist  shows  everywhere  his 
devotion  thereto,  yet  Scripture  could  be  used  so  to  a  small  extent 
only,  and  needed  constant  supplementing  by  direct  revelations 
and  prophecies.  But  now.  Scripture  reveals  the  whole  counsel  of 
God,  and  nothing  can  be  added  to  it.  Wo  to  him  who  dares  dimin- 
ish or  increase  this  Book  of  Life  which  discloses  the  world  of  divine 
thought  1 


64     HOLY  SCRIPTURE  OF  THE  OLD  TESTAMENT 

But  notwithstanding  differences,  the  fact  remains  that  the  Holy 
Spirit  mastered  the  problem  of  bringing  to  man  lost  in  sin,  by 
human  language  intelligible  to  all  nations  and  ages,  the  world  of 
divine  thoughts,  so  as  to  use  them  as  the  instrument  of  man's 
quickening. 

It  does  not  alter  the  case  that  the  Holy  Scripture  shows  so  many 
seams  and  uneven  places,  and  looks  different  from  what  we  should 
expect.  The  chief  virtue  of  this  masterpiece  was  so  to  enfold 
God's  thoughts  in  our  sinful  life  that  out  of  our  language  they  could 
form  a  speech  in  which  to  proclaim  through  the  ages,  to  all  nations, 
the  mighty  words  of  God.  This  masterpiece  is  finished  and  lies 
before  us  in  the  Holy  Scripture.  And  instead  of  losing  itself  in 
criticizing  these  apparent  defects,  the  Church  of  all  ages  has 
received  it  with  adoration  and  thanksgiving;  has  preserved  it, 
tasted  it,  enjoyed  it,  and  always  believed  to  find  eternal  life  in  it. 

Not  as  tho  critical  and  historical  examination  were  prohibited. 
Such  endeavor  for  the  glory  of  God  is  highly  commendable.  But 
as  the  physiologist's  search  for  the  genesis  of  human  life  becomes 
sinful  if  immodest  or  dangerous  to  unborn  life,  so  does  every  criti- 
cism of  Holy  Scripture  become  sinful  and  culpable  if  irreverent  or 
seeking  to  destroy  the  life  of  God's  Word  in  the  consciousness  of 
the  Church. 


XIV. 

The    Revelation    to    Which    the   Scripture    of   the    Old 
Testament  Owes  Its  Existence. 

"  O  Lord,  .  .  .  Thou  art  stronger  than  I, 
and  hast  prevailed."— y^r.  xx.  7. 

The  understanding  of  the  Holy  Spirit's  work  in  Scripture 
requires  us  to  distinguish  the  preparatmi,  and  the  formation  that 
was  the  outcome  of  the  preparation.  We  will  discuss  these  two 
separately. 

The  Holy  Spirit  prepared  for  Scripture  by  the  operations  which 
from  Paradise  to  Patmos  supernaturally  apprehended  the  sinful  life 
of  this  world,  and  thus  raised  up  believing  men  who  formed  the 
developing  Church. 

This  will  seem  very  foolish  if  we  consider  the  Scripture  a  mere 
paper-book,  a  lifeless  object,  but  not  if  we  hear  God  speaking 
therein  directly  to  the  soul.  Severed  from  the  divine  life,  the 
Scripture  is  unprofitable,  a  letter  that  killeth.  But  when  we  real- 
ize that  it  radiates  God's  love  and  mercy  in  such  form  as  to  trans- 
form our  life  and  address  our  consciousness,  we  see  that  the  super- 
natural revelation  of  the  life  of  God  must  precede  the  radiation.  The 
revelation  of  God's  tender  mercies  must  precede  their  scintillation 
in  the  human  consciousness.  First,  the  revelation  of  the  mystery 
of  Godliness;  then,  its  radiation  in  the  Sacred  Scripture,  and  thence 
into  the  heart  of  God's  Church,  is  the  natural  and  ordained  way. 

For  this  purpose  the  Holy  Spirit  first  chose  individuals,  then  a 
few  families,  and  lastly  a  whole  nation,  to  be  the  sphere  of  His 
activities ;  and  in  each  stage  He  began  His  work  with  the  Word, 
always  following  the  Word  of  Salvation  with  the  Facts  of  Salvation. 

He  began  this  work  in  Paradise.  After  the  fall,  death  and  con- 
demnation reigned  over  the  first  pair,  and  in  them  entombed  the 
race.  Had  the  Spirit  left  them  to  themselves,  with  the  germ  of 
death  ever  developing  in  them,  no  star  of  hope  would  ever  have 
arisen  for  the  human  race. 
5 


66     HOLY  SCRIPTURE  OF  THE  OLD  TESTAMENT 

Therefore  the  Holy  Spirit  introduces  His  work  at  the  very  begin- 
ning of  the  development  of  the  race.  The  first  germ  of  the  mystery 
of  Godliness  was  already  implanted  in  Adam,  and  the  first  mother- 
word  of  which  the  Holy  Scripture  was  to  be  born  was  whispered 
into  his  ear. 

This  word  was  followed  by  the  deed.  God's  word  does  not 
return  void;  it  is  not  a  sound,  but  a  power.  It  is  a  plowshare 
subsoiling  the  soul.  Behind  the  word  stands  the  propelling  power 
of  the  Holy  Spirit,  and  thus  it  becomes  effectual,  and  changes  the 
whole  condition  of  things.  We  see  it  in  Adam  and  Eve ;  especially  in 
Enoch ;  and  "  By  faith  Abel  obtained  witness  that  he  was  righteous." 

After  these  operations  in  individuals  the  Spirit's  work  in  the 
family  begins,  partly  in  Noah,  more  especially  in  Abraham. 

The  judgment  of  the  flood  had  completely  changed  former  rela- 
tions, had  caused  a  new  generation  to  arise,  and  perhaps  had 
changed  the  physical  relations  between  the  earth  and  its  atmos- 
phere. And  then,  for  the  first  time,  the  Holy  Spirit  begins  to  work 
in  the  family.  Our  Ritual  of  Baptism  points  emphatically  to  Noah 
and  his  eight,  which  has  often  been  a  stumbling-block  to  a  thought- 
less unspirituality.  And  yet  needlessly,  for  by  pointing  to  Noah 
our  fathers  meant  to  indicate,  in  that  sacramental  prayer,  that  it  is 
not  the  baptism  of  individuals,  but  of  \\\q people  of  God,  i.e.,  of  the 
Church  and  its  seed.  And  since  the  salvation  of  families  emerges 
first  in  the  history  of  Noah  and  his  family  after  the  flood,  it  was 
perfectly  correct  to  point  to  the  salvation  of  Noah  and  his  family 
as  God's  first  revelation  of  salvation  for  us  and  our  seed. 

But  the  work  of  the  Holy  Spirit  in  Noah's  family  is  only  pre- 
liminary. Noah  and  his  sons  still  belong  to  the  old  world.  They 
formed  a  transition.  After  Noah  the  holy  line  disappears,  and  from 
Shem  to  Terah  the  Holy  Spirit's  work  remains  invisible.  But  with 
Terah  it  appears  in  clearest  light;  for  now  Abraham  goes  out.  not 
with  sons,  but  alone.  The  promised  son  was  still  resting  in  the 
hand  of  God.  And  he  could  not  beget  him  but  dy  faith;  so  that 
God  could  truly  say,  "I  am  the  Almighty  God,";'.^.,  a  God  "who 
quickeneth  the  dead  and  calleth  the  things  that  are  not  as  tho  they 
were."  Hence  Abraham's  family  is  almost  in  literal  sense  the  prod- 
uct of  the  Holy's  Spirit's  work  in  that  there  is  nothing  in  his  life 
without  faith.  The  product  of  art  in  Abraham's  history  is  not  the 
image  of  a  pious  shepherd-king  or  virtuous  patriarch,  but  the  won- 


REVELATION  AS  TO  THE  OLD  TESTAMENT     67 

derful  work  of  the  Holy  Spirit  operating  in  an  old  man — who  again 
and  again  "kicks  against  the  pricks,"  who  brings  forth  out  of  his 
own  heart  nothing  but  unbelief  —  working  in  him  a  stedfast  and 
immovable  faith,  bringing  that  faith  into  direct  connection  with  his 
family  life.  Abraham  is  called  "  the  Father  of  the  Faithful,"  not  in 
the  superficial  sense  of  a  spiritual  connection  between  our  faith  and 
Abraham's  history,  but  because  the  faith  of  Abraham  was  inter- 
woven with  the  fact  of  Isaac's  birth,  whom  he  obtained  by  faith, 
and  of  whom  there  was  given  him  a  seed  as  the  stars  of  the  heaven 
and  as  the  sand  of  the  seashore. 

From  the  individual  the  Holy  Spirit's  work  passes  into  the 
family,  and  thence  into  the  nation.     Thus  Israel  receives  his  being. 

It  was  Israel,  i.e.,  not  one  of  the  nations,  but  a  people  newly  cre- 
ated, added  to  the  nations,  received  among  their  number,  perpetu- 
ally distinct  from  all  other  nations  in  origin  and  significance.  And 
this  people  is  also  born  of  faith.  To  this  end  God  casts  it  into  death : 
on  Moriah;  in  Jacob's  flight;  in  the  distresses  of  Joseph,  and  in  the 
fears  of  Moses;  alongside  the  fiery  furnaces  of  Pithon  and  Ramses; 
when  the  infants  of  the  Hebrews  floated  on  the  Nile.  And  from  this 
death  it  is  again  and  again  faith  that  saves  and  delivers,  and  there- 
fore the  Holy  Spirit  who  continues  His  glorious  work  in  the  gene- 
ration and  regeneration  of  this  coming  people.  After  this  people 
is  born  it  is  again  thrown  into  death :  first,  in  the  wilderness ;  then, 
during  the  time  of  the  Judges;  finally,  in  the  Exile.  Yet  it  can  not 
die,  for  it  carries  in  its  bosom  the  hope  of  the  promise.  However 
maimed,  plagued,  and  decimated,  it  multiplies  again  and  again ;  for 
the  Lord's  promise  fails  not,  and  in  spite  of  shameful  backslidings 
and  apostasy,  Israel  manifests  the  glory  of  a  people  born,  living, 
and  dying  by  faith. 

Thus  the  work  of  the  Holy  Spirit  passes  through  these  three 
stages:  Abel,  Abraham,  Moses;  the  individual,  the  family,  the 
nation.  In  each  of  these  three  the  work  of  the  Holy  Spirit  is  visi- 
ble, inasmuch  as  everything  is  wrought  by  faith.  Is  faith  not 
wrought  by  the  Holy  Spirit?  Very  well;  by  faith  Abel  obtained 
witness;  by  faith  Abraham  received  the  son  of  the  promise;  and 
by  faith  Israel  passed  through  the  Red  Sea. 

And  what  is  the  relation  between  life  and  the  word  of  life  dur- 
ing these  three  stages.^    Is  it,  as  according  to  current  representa- 


6S     HOLY  SCRIPTURE  OF  THE  OLD  TESTAMENT 

tions,  first  life,  and  then  the  word  springing  therefrom  as  token  of 
the  conscious  life? 

Evidently  history  proves  the  very  opposite.  In  Paradise  the 
word  precedes  and  the  life  follows.  To  Abraham  in  Ur  of  the  Chal- 
dees,  first  the  word .  "  Get  thee  out  from  thy  country,  and  I  will 
bless  thee,  and  in  thee  shall  all  the  families  of  the  earth  be  blessed." 
In  the  case  of  Moses  it  is  first  the  word  in  the  burning  bush  and 
then  the  passage  through  the  Red  Sea.  This  is  the  Lord's  ap- 
pointed way.  He  first  speaks,  then  works.  Or  more  correctly.  He 
speaks,  and  by  speaking  He  quickens.  These  two  stand  in  closest 
connection.  Not  as  tho  the  word  causes  life ;  for  the  Eternal  and 
Triune  God  is  the  only  Cause,  Source,  and  Fountain  of  life.  But 
the  word  is  the  instrument  with  which  He  wills  to  complete  His 
work  in  our  hearts. 

We  can  not  stop  here  to  consider  the  work  of  the  Father  and  the 
Son,  which  either  preceded  or  followed  that  of  the  Holy  Spirit,  and 
which  is  interwoven  with  it.  Of  the  miracles  we  speak  only  be- 
cause we  discover  in  them  a  special  twofold  work  of  the  Holy 
Spirit.  The  working  of  the  miracle  is  of  the  Father  and  of  the  Son, 
and  not  so  much  of  the  Holy  Spirit.  But  often  as  it  pleased  God 
to  use  men  as  instruments  in  the  performance  of  miracles,  it  is  the 
Spirit's  special  work  to  qualify  them  by  working  faith  in  their 
hearts.  Moses  smiting  the  rock  believed  not,  but  he  imagined  that 
by  smiting  he  himself  could  produce  water  from  the  rock;  which 
God  alone  can  do.  To  him  that  believes  it  is  the  same  whether  he 
speaks  or  smites  the  rock.  Stick  nor  tongue  can  in  the  least  affect 
it.  The  power  proceeds  from  God  alone.  Hence  the  greatness  of 
the  sin  of  Moses.  He  thought  that  he  was  to  be  the  worker,  and 
not  God.     And  this  is  the  very  work  of  sin  in  God's  people. 

Hence  we  see  that  when  Moses  cast  down  his  rod,  when  he 
cursed  the  Nile,  when  Elias  and  other  men  of  God  wrought  mira- 
cles, they  did  nothing,  they  only  believed.  And  by  virtue  of  their 
faith  they  became  to  the  bystanders  the  interpreters  of  God's  testi- 
mony, showing  them  the  works  of  God  and  not  their  own.  This  is 
what  St.  Peter  exclaimed :  "  Why  look  ye  so  earnestly  on  us  as  tho 
by  our  own  power  or  holiness  we  had  made  this  man  to  walk?" 

To  work  this  faith  in  the  hearts  of  men  who  were  to  perform 
these  miracles  was  the  Holy  Spirit's  first  task.  His  second  was  to 
quicken  faith  in  the  hearts  of  those  upon  whom  the  miracle  was  to 
be  wrought.     Of  Christ  it  is  written,  that  in  Capernaum  He  could 


REVELATION  AS  TO  THE  OLD  TESTAMENT  69 

aot  do  many  powerful  works  because  of  their  unbelief;  and  we  read 
repeatedly;  "  Thy  faith  hath  made  thee  whole." 

But  the  miracle  alone  has  no  convincing  power.  The  unbeliever 
begins  with  denying  it.  He  explains  it  from  natural  causes.  He 
neither  will  nor  can  see  God's  hand  in  it.  And  when  it  is  so  con- 
vincing that  he  can  not  deny  it,  he  says:  "  It  is  of  the  devil."  But 
he  will  not  acknowledge  that  it  is  the  power  of  God.  Therefore  to 
make  the  miracle  effectual,  the  Holy  Spirit  must  also  open  the  eyes 
of  them  that  witness  it  to  see  the  power  of  God  therein.  All  our 
reading  of  the  miracles  in  our  Bible  is  unprofitable  unless  the  Holy 
Spirit  opens  our  eyes,  and  then  we  see  them  live,  hear  their  testi- 
mony, experience  their  power,  and  glorify  God  for  His  mighty 
works. 


XV. 
The  Revelation  of  the  Old  Testament  in  Writing. 

"  Then  I  said,  I  will  not  speak  any  more  in 
His  Name.  But  His  word  was  in  my 
heart  as  a  burning  fire,  shut  up  in  my 
bones :  and  I  was  weary  with  forbearing, 
but  I  could  not."— y^r.  xx.  9. 

Altho  the  miracles  performed  for  and  in  the  midst  of  Israel 
created  a  glorious  life-center  in  the  midst  of  the  heathen  world,  yet 
they  did  not  constitute  a  Holy  Scripture ;  for  this  can  not  be  created 
except  God  speak  to  man,  even  to  His  people  Israel.  "  God,  who  at 
sundry  times  and  in  divers  manners  spake  in  times  past  unto  the 
fathers  by  the  prophets,  hath  in  these  last  days  spoken  unto  us  by 
His  Son." 

This  divine  speaking  is  not  limited  to  prophecy.  God  spoke 
also  to  others  than  prophets,  e.g.,  to  Eve,  Cain,  Hagar,  etc.  To 
receive  a  revelation  or  a  vision  does  not  make  one  a  prophet,  unless 
it  be  accompanied  by  the  command  to  communicate  the  revelation 
to  others.  The  word  "nabi,"  the  Scriptural  term  for  prophet,  does 
not  indicate  a  person  who  receives  something  of  God,  but  one  who 
brings  something  to  the  people.  Hence  it  is  a  mistake  to  confine 
the  divine  revelation  to  the  prophetic  office.  In  fact,  it  extends  to 
the  whole  race  in  general ;  prophecy  is  only  one  of  its  special  fea- 
tures. As  to  the  divine  revelation  in  its  widest  scope,  it  is  evident 
from  the  Scripture  that  God  spoke  to  men  from  Adam  to  the  last 
of  the  apostles.  From  Paradise  to  Patmos  revelation  runs  like  a 
golden  thread  through  every  part  of  Sacred  History. 

As  a  rule,  the  Scripture  does  not  treat  this  divine  speaking  meta- 
phorically. There  are  exceptions,  ^.^.,"God  spake  to  the  fish" 
(Jonah  ii.  10);  "The  heavens  declare  the  glory  of  God,  and  day 
unto  day  uttereth  speech  "  (Psalm  xix.  2,  3).  However,  it  can  be 
proven,  from  a  thousand  passages  against  one  to  the  contrary,  that 
the  ordinary  speaking  of  the  Lord  may  not  be  taken  in  other  than 
the  literal  sense.     This  is  evident  from  the  call  of  God  to  Samuel, 


OLD  TESTAMENT  REVELATION  IN  WRITING     71 

which  the  child  mistook  for  that  of  Eli.  It  is  evident  also  from  the 
names,  numbers,  and  localities  that  are  mentioned  in  this  divine 
speaking ;  especially  from  the  dialogues  between  God  and  man,  as 
in  the  history  of  Abraham  in  the  conflict  of  his  faith  concerning  the 
promised  seed,  and  in  his  intercession  for  Sodom. 

And  therefore  we  can  not  agree  with  those  who  would  per- 
suade us  that  the  Lord  did  not  really  speak;  that  if  it  reads  so,  it 
must  not  be  so  understood;  and  that  a  clearer  insight  shows  that  "  a 
certain  influence  from  God  affected  the  inner  life  of  the  person 
addressed.  In  connection  with  the  person's  peculiar  character  and 
the  influences  of  his  past  and  present  this  working  gave  special 
clearness  to  his  consciousness,  and  wrought  in  him  such  a  convic- 
tion that,  without  hesitation,  he  declared:  '  Since  I  will  as  God 
wills,  I  know  that  the  Lord  has  thus  spoken  to  me.'  *'  This  repre- 
sentation we  reject  as  exceedingly  pernicious  and  hurtful  to  the  life 
of  the  Church,  "We  call  it  false,  since  it  dishonors  the  truth  of  God ; 
and  we  refuse  to  tolerate  a  theology  that  starts  from  such  premises. 
It  annihilates  the  authority  of  the  Scripture.  Altho  commended  by 
the  Ethical  wing  it  is  exceedingly  ««-ethical,  inasmuch  as  it  directly 
opposes  the  clearly  expressed  truth  of  the  Word  of  God.  Nay,  this 
divine  speaking,  whose  record  the  Scripture  offers,  must  be  under- 
stood as  real  speaking. 

And  what  is  speaking  i  Speaking  presupposes  a  person  who  has 
a  thought  that  he  wishes  to  transfer  directly  to  the  consciousness 
of  another,  without  the  intervention  of  a  third  person  or  of  writing 
or  of  gesture.  Hence  when  God  speaks  to  man  three  things  are 
implied : 

First,  that  God  has  a  thought  which  He  wills  to  communicate 
to  man. 

Second,  that  He  executes  His  design  in  a  direct  way. 
Third,    that  the  person  addressed    now  possesses    the  divine 
thought  with  this  result,  that  he  is  conscious  of  the  same  idea  which 
a  moment  ago  existed  only  in  God. 

With  every  explanation  doing  full  justice  to  these  thrae  points 
we  will  agree;  every  other  we  reject. 

As  to  the  question  whether  speech  is  possible  without  sound,  we 
answer:  "No,  not  among  men."  Surely  the  Lord  can  speak  and 
has  spoken  at  times  by  means  of  air-vibrations ;  but  He  can  speak 
to  man  without  the  use  of  either  sound  or  ear.  As  men  we  have 
access  to  each  other's  consciousness  only  by  means  of  the  organs  of 


72     HOLY  SCRIPTURE  OF  THE  OLD  TESTAMENT 

sense.  We  can  not  communicate  with  our  neighbor  except  he  hear 
or  see  or  feel  our  touch.  The  unfortunate  who  is  devoid  of  these 
senses  can  not  receive  the  slightest  information  from  without. 
But  the  Lord  our  God  is  not  thus  limited.  He  has  access  to  man's 
heart  and  consciousness  from  within.  He  can  impart  to  our  con- 
sciousness whatever  He  will  in  a  direct  way,  without  the  use  of  ear- 
drum, auditory  nerve,  and  vibration  of  air,  Tho  a  man  be  stone- 
deaf,  God  can  make  him  hear,  inwardly  speaking  to  his  soul. 

However,  to  accomplish  this  God  must  condescend  to  our  limita- 
tions. For  the  consciousness  is  subject  to  the  mental  conditions  of 
the  world  in  which  it  lives.  A  negro,  e.g. ,  can  have  no  other  con- 
sciousness than  that  developed  by  his  environment  and  acquired 
by  his  language.  Speaking  to  a  foreigner  unacquainted  with  our 
tongue,  we  must  adapt  ourselves  to  his  limitations  and  address  him 
in  his  own  language.  Hence  in  order  to  make  Himself  intelligible 
to  man,  God  must  clothe  His  thoughts  in  human  language  and  thus 
convey  them  to  the  human  consciousness. 

To  the  person  thus  addressed  it  must  seem  therefore  as  tho  he 
had  been  spoken  to  in  the  ordinary  way.  He  received  the  im- 
pression that  he  heard  words  of  human  language  conveying  to  him 
divine  thoughts.  Hence  the  divine  speaking  is  always  adapted  to 
the  capacities  of  the  person  addressed.  Because  in  condescension 
the  Lord  adapts  Himself  to  every  man's  consciousness.  His  speak- 
ing assumes  the  form  peculiar  to  every  man's  condition.  What  a 
difference,  for  instance,  between  God's  word  to  Cain  and  that  to 
Ezekiel !  This  explains  how  God  could  mention  names,  dates,  and 
various  other  details;  how  He  could  make  use  of  the  dialect  of  a 
certain  period ;  of  derivation  of  words,  as  in  the  changing  of  names, 
as  in  the  case  of  Abraham  and  Sarah. 

This  also  shows  that  God's  speaking  is  not  limited  to  godly  and 
susceptible  persons  prepared  to  receive  a  revelation.  Adam  was 
wholly  unprepared,  hiding  himself  from  the  presence  of  God.  And 
so  were  Cain  and  Balaam.  Even  Jeremiah  said :  "  I  will  not  speak 
any  more  in  His  Name.  But  His  word  was  in  my  heart  as  a  burn- 
ing fire,  shut  up  in  my  bones :  and  I  was  weary  with  forbearing,  but 
I  could  not"  (chap.  xx.  9).  Hence  the  divine  omnipotence  is  un- 
limited. The  Lord  can  impart  the  knowledge  of  His  will  to  whom- 
soever He  pleases.  The  question  why  He  has  not  spoken  for  eigh- 
teen centuries  must  not  be  answered,  "  Because  He  has  lost  the 
power";  but,  "  Because  it  seemeth  not  good  to  Him."    Having  once 


OLD  TESTAMENT  REVELATION  IN  WRITING     73 

spoken  and  in  the  Scripture  brought  His  word  to  our  souls.  He  is 
silent  now  that  we  may  honor  the  Scripture. 

However,  it  should  be  noticed  that  in  this  divine  speaking  from 
Paradise  to  Patmos  there  is  a  certain  order,  unity,  and  regularity ; 
wherefore  we  add : 

First,  the  divine  speaking  was  not  confined  to  individuals,  but, 
having  a  message  for  all  the  people,  God  spoke  through  His  chosen 
prophets.  That  God  can  speak  to  a  whole  nation  at  once  is  proven 
by  the  events  of  Sinai.  But  it  pleased  Him  not  always  to  do  this. 
On  the  contrary,  He  never  spoke  to  them  in  that  way  afterward, 
but  introduced  prophetism  instead.  Hence  the  peculiar  mission  of 
prophetism  is  to  receive  the  words  of  God  and  immediately  to  com- 
municate them  to  the  people.  God  speaks  to  Abraham  what  is  for 
Abraham  alone;  but  to  Joel,  Amos,  etc.,  a  message  not  for  them- 
selves, but  for  others  to  whom  it  must  be  conveyed.  In  connection 
with  this  we  notice  the  fact  that  the  prophet  stands  not  alone,  but 
in  relation  with  a  class  of  men  among  whom  his  mind  was  gradually 
prepared  to  speak  to  the  people,  and  to  receive  the  divine  Oracle. 
For  the  peculiar  feature  of  prophecy  was  the  condition  of  ecstasy, 
which  differed  greatly  from  the  way  by  which  God  spoke  to 
Moses. 

Secondly,  these  divine  revelations  are  mutually  related  and, 
taken  together,  constitute  a  whole.  There  is  first  the  foundation, 
then  the  superstructure,  until  finally  the  illustrious  palace  of  the 
divine  truth  and  knowledge  is  completed.  Revelation  as  a  whole 
shows  therefore  a  glorious  plan,  into  which  are  dovetailed  the 
special  revelations  to  individuals. 

Thirdly,  the  speaking  of  the  Lord,  especially  of  the  inward 
word,  is  peculiarly  the  work  of  the  Holy  Spirit,  which,  as  we  have 
found  before,  appears  most  strikingly  when  God  comes  into  closest 
contact  with  the  creature.  And  the  consciousness  is  the  most  inti- 
mate part  of  man's  being.  Wherefore,  as  often  as  the  Lord  our 
God  enters  human  consciousness  to  communicate  His  thoughts, 
clothed  in  human  thoughts  and  speech,  the  Scripture  and  the 
believer  honor  and  adore  therein  the  comforting  operation  of  the 
Holy  Spirit. 


XVI. 
Inspiration. 

"  And  unto  the  angel  of  the  church  in  Sardis 
write,  These  things  saith  He  that  hath 
the  seven  Spirits  of  God." — Rev.  iii.  i. 

We  do  not  speak  here  of  the  New  Testament.  Nothing  has  con- 
tributed more  to  falsify  and  undermine  faith  in  the  Scripture  and 
the  orthodox  view  concerning  it  than  the  unhistoric  and  unnatural 
practise  of  considering  the  Scripture  of  the  Old  and  the  New  Testa- 
ment at  the  same  time. 

The  Old  Testament  appears  first;  then  came  the  Word  in  the 
flesh ;  and  only  after  that  the  Scripture  of  the  New  Testament.  In 
the  study  of  the  work  of  the  Holy  Spirit  the  same  order  ought  to  be 
observed.  Before  we  speak  of  His  work  in  the  Incarnation,  the 
inspiration  of  the  New  Testament  may  not  even  be  mentioned. 
And  until  the  Incarnation,  there  existed  no  other  Scripture  than  the 
Old  Testament. 

The  question  is  now :  How  is  the  work  of  the  Holy  Spirit  to  be 
traced  in  the  construction  of  that  Scripture? 

We  have  considered  the  question  how  it  was  prepared.  By 
wonderful  works  God  created  a  new  life  in  this  world ;  and,  in  order 
to  make  men  believe  in  these  works,  He  spoke  to  man  either  direct- 
ly or  indirectly,  i.e.,  by  the  prophets.  But  this  did  not  create  ^ 
Sacred  Scripture.  If  nothing  more  had  been  done  there  would 
never  have  been  such  a  Scripture ;  for  events  take  place  and 
belong  to  the  past;  the  word  6nce  spoken  passes  away  with  the 
emotion  in  the  consciousness. 

Human  writing  is  the  wonderful  gift  which  God  bestowed  on 
man  to  perpetuate  what  otherwise  would  have  been  forgotten  and 
utterly  lost.  Tradition  falsifies  the  report.  Among  holy  men  this 
would  not  be  so.  But  we  are  sinful  men.  By  sin  a  lie  can  be  told. 
Sin  is  also  the  cause  of  our  lack  of  earnestness,  and  the  root  of  all 
forgetfulness,  carelessness,  and  thoughtlessness.  These  are  the 
two  factors,  lying  and  carelessness,  that  rob  tradition  of  its  value. 


INSPIRATION  75 

For  this  reason  God  gave  our  race  the  gift  of  writing.  Whether  on 
wax,  on  metal,  on  the  face  of  the  rock,  on  parchment,  on  papyrus, 
or  on  paper,  is  of  no  importance ;  but  that  God  enabled  man  to  find 
the  art  of  committing  to  posterity  a  thought,  a  promise,  an  event, 
independent  from  his  person,  attaching  it  to  something  material, 
so  that  it  could  endure  and  be  read  by  others  even  after  his  death — 
this  is  of  greatest  importance. 

For  us,  men,  reading  and  writing  are  means  of  fellowship.  It 
begins  with  speaking,  which  is  essential  to  fellowship.  But  mere 
speaking  confines  it  to  narrow  limits,  while  reading  and  writing 
give  it  wider  scope,  extending  it  to  persons  far  away  and  to  genera- 
tions yet  unborn.  Through  writing  past  generations  actually  live 
together.  Even  now  we  can  meet  with  Moses  and  David,  Isaiah 
and  John,  Plato  and  Cicero ;  we  can  hear  them  speak  and  receive 
their  mental  utterances.  Writing  is  therefore  no  contemptible 
thing  as  some,  who  are  overspiritual  and  sneer  at  the  written 
Word,  consider  it.  On  the  contrary,  it  is  great  and  glorious — one 
of  the  mighty  factors  whereby  God  keeps  men  and  generations  in 
living  communication  and  exercise  of  love.  Its  discovery  was  a  won- 
derful grace,  God's  gift  to  man,  more  than  doubling  his  treasures. 

The  gift  has  often  been  abused ;  yet  even  in  its  rightful  use  there 
is  ascending  glory.  How  much  more  glorious  appears  the  art  of 
writing  when  Dante,  Shakespeare,  and  Schiller  write  their  poetry, 
than  when  the  pedagogue  compiles  his  spelling-books  or  the  notary 
public  scribbles  the  lease  of  a  house ! 

Since  writing  may  be  used  or  abused,  may  serve  low  or  high 
purposes,  the  question  arises:  "What  is  its  highest  end.?"  And 
without  the  least  hesitation  we  answer :  "  The  writing  of  the  Holy 
Scripture."  As  human  speech  and  language  are  of  the  Holy  Spirit, 
so  is  writing  also  taught  us  of  Him.  But  while  man  uses  the  art  to 
record  human  thoughts,  the  Holy  Spirit  employs  it  to  give  fixed 
and  lasting  form  to  the  thoughts  of  .God.  Hence  there  is  a  human 
employment  of  it  and  a  divine.  The  highest  and  wholly  unique  is 
that  in  the  Holy  Scripture. 

Actually  there  is  no  other  book  which  sustains  communication 
among  men  and  generations  as  does  the  Sacred  Scripture.  To 
honor  His  own  work  the  Holy  Spirit  has  caused  the  universal  dis- 
tribution of  this  book  alone,  thereby  putting  men  of  all  stations 
and  classes  into  communication  with  the  oldest  generations  of  the 
race. 


^d     HOLY  SCRIPTURE  OF  THE  OLD  TESTAMENT 

From  this  standpoint  the  Holy  Scripture  must  be  considered, 
being  in  fact  "  the  Scripture  par  excellence."  Hence  the  divine  and 
oft-repeated  command:  "  Write."  God  did  not  only  speak  and  act, 
leaving  it  to  man  whether  His  deeds  and  the  tenor  of  His  w^ords 
were  to  be  forgotten  or  remembered ;  but  He  also  commanded  that 
they  should  be  recorded  in  writing.  And  when  just  before  the 
announcement  and  close  of  the  divine  revelation  to  John  on  Patmos, 
the  Lord  commanded  him,  "  Write  to  the  church"  of  Ephesus,  Per- 
gamos,  etc.,  He  repeated  in  a  summary  what  was  the  design  of  all 
preceding  revelations,  viz.,  that  they  should  be  written  and  in  the 
form  of  a  Scripture,  a  gift  of  the  Holy  Spirit,  and  be  deposited  in 
the  Church,  which  for  that  reason  is  called  the  "  pillar  and  ground 
of  the  truth."  Not,  according  to  a  later  interpretation,  as  tho  the 
truth  were  coticealed  in  the  Church;  but,  according  to  the  ancient 
rendering,  that  Holy  Scripture  was  entrusted  to  the  Church  for 
preservation. 

However,  we  do  not  mean  to  say  that  with  reference  to  every 
verse  and  chapter  the  Holy  Spirit  commanded,  "  Write,"  as  tho  the 
Scripture  as  we  possess  it  had  come  into  existence  page  after  page. 
Assuredly  the  Scripture  is  divinely  inspired:  a  statement  dis- 
torted and  perverted  beyond  recognition  by  our  Ethical  theolo- 
gians, if  they  understand  by  it  that  "  prophets  and  apostles  were 
personally  animated  by  the  Holy  Spirit."  This  confounds  illumiTia- 
tion  with  revelation,  and  revelation  with  inspiration.  "  Illumination  " 
is  the  clearing  up  of  the  spiritual  consciousness  which  in  His  own 
time  the  Holy  Spirit  gives  more  or  less  to  every  child  of  God. 
"  Revelation"  is  a  communication  of  the  thoughts  of  God  given  in 
extraordinary  manner,  by  a  miracle,  to  prophets  and  apostles. 
But  "inspiration,"  wholly  distinct  from  these,  is  that  special  and 
unique  operation  of  the  Holy  Spirit  whereby  He  directed  the  minds 
of  the  writers  of  the  Scripture  in  the  act  of  writing.  "  All  Scripture 
is  given  by  inspiration  of  God  " ;  and  this  has  no  reference  to  ordi- 
nary illumination,  nor  extraordinary  revelation,  but  to  an  operation 
that  stands  entirely  alone  and  which  the  Church  has  always 
confessed  under  the  name  of  Inspiration.  Hence  inspiration  is 
the  name  of  that  all-comprehensive  operation  of  the  Holy  Spirit 
whereby  He  has  bestowed  on  the  Church  a  complete  and  infallible 
Scripture.  We  call  this  operation  all-comprehensive,  for  it  was 
organic,  not  mechanical. 

The   practise  of  writing  dates  back  to  remote  antiquity;  pre- 


INSPIRATION  -jy 

ceded,  however,  by  the  preservation  of  the  verbal  tradition  by  the 
Holy  Spirit.  This  is  evident  from  the  narrative  of  the  Creation. 
Noted  physicists  like  Agassiz,  Dana,  Guyot,  and  others  have  openly 
declared  that  the  narrative  of  the  Creation  recorded  many  cen- 
turies ago  what  so  far  no  man  could  know  of  himself,  and  what  at 
the  present  time  is  only  partly  revealed  by  the  study  of  geology. 
Hence  the  narrative  of  the  Creation  is  not  viytJi,  but  history.  The 
events  took  place  as  recorded  in  the  opening  chapters  of  Genesis. 
The  Creator  Himself  must  have  communicated  them  to  man. 
From  Adam  to  the  time  when  writing  was  invented  the  remem- 
brance of  this  communication  must  have  been  preserved  correctly. 
That  there  are  two  narratives  of  the  Creation  proves  nothing  to  the 
contrary.  Creation  is  considered  from  the  natural  and  from  the 
spiritual  points  of  view ;  hence  it  is  perfectly  proper  that  the  image 
of  Creation  should  be  completed  in  a  twofold  sketch. 

If  Adam  did  not  receive  the  special  charge,  yet  from  the  revela- 
tion itself  he  obtained  the  powerful  impression  that  such  informa- 
tion was  not  designed  for  himself  alone,  but  for  all  men.  Realizing 
its  importance  and  the  obligation  it  imposed,  succeeding  generations 
have  perpetuated  the  remembrance  of  God's  wonderful  words  and 
deeds,  first  orally,  afterward  by  writing.  In  this  way  there  grad- 
ually arose  a  collection  of  documents  which  through  Egyptian 
influence  were  put  in  book  form  by  the  great  men  of  Israel.  These 
documents  being  collected,  sifted,  compiled,  and  expanded  by 
Moses,  formed  in  his  day  the  beginning  of  a  Holy  Scripture  prop- 
erly so  called. 

Whether  Moses  and  those  earlier  writers  were  conscious  of  their 
inspiration  is  immaterial;  the  Holy  Spirit  directed  them,  brought 
to  their  knowledge  what  they  were  to  know,  sharpened  their  judg- 
ment in  the  choice  of  documents  and  records,  so  that  they  should 
decide  aright,  and  gave  them  a  superior  maturity  of  mind  that 
enabled  them  always  to  choose  the  right  word. 

Altho  the  Holy  Spirit  spoke  directly  to  men,  human  speech  and 
language  being  no  human  inventions,  yet  in  writing  He  employed 
human  agencies.  But  whether  He  dictates  directly,  as  in  the 
Revelation  of  St.  John,  or  governs  the  writing  indirectly,  as  with 
historians  and  evangelists,  the  result  is  the  same :  the  product  is 
such  in  form  and  content  as  the  Holy  Spirit  designed,  an  infallible 
document  for  the  Church  of  God. 

Hence  the  confession  of  inspiration  does  not  exclude  ordinary 


yS     HOLY  SCRIPTURE  OF  THE  OLD  TESTAMENT 

numbering,  collecting  of  documents,  sifting,  recording,  etc.  It 
recognizes  all  these  matters  which  are  plainly  discernible  in  Scrip- 
ture. Style,  diction,  repetitions,  all  retain  their  value.  But  it  must 
be  insisted  that  the  Scripture  as  a  whole,  as  finally  presented  to 
the  Church,  as  to  content,  selection,  and  arrangement  of  docu- 
ments, structure,  and  even  words,  owes  its  existence  to  the  Holy 
Spirit,  i.e.,  that  the  men  employed  in  this  work  were  consciously  or 
unconsciously  so  controlled  and  directed  by  the  Spirit,  in  all  their 
thinking,  selecting,  sifting,  choice  of  words,  and  writing,  that  their 
final  product,  delivered  to  posterity,  possessed  a  perfect  warrant  of 
divine  and  absolute  authority. 

That  the  Scriptures  themselves  present  a  number  of  objections 
and  in  many  aspects  do  not  make  the  impression  of  absolute  inspi- 
ration does  not  militate  against  the  other  fact  that  all  this  spiritual 
labor  was  controlled  and  directed  by  the  Holy  Spirit.  For  the 
Scripture  had  to  be  constructed  so  as  to  leave  room  for  the  exercise 
oi  faith.  It  was  not  intended  to  be  approved  by  the  critical  judg- 
ment and  accepted  on  this  ground.  This  would  eliminate  faith. 
Faith  takes  hold  directly  with  the  fulness  of  our  personality.  To 
have  faith  in  the  Word,  Scripture  must  not  grasp  us  in  our  critical 
thought,  but  in  the  life  of  the  soul.  To  believe  in  the  Scripture  is 
an  act  of  life  of  which  thou,  O  lifeless  man !  art  not  capable,  except 
the  Quickener,  the  Holy  Ghost,  enable  thee.  He  that  caused  Holy 
Scripture  to  be  written  is  the  same  that  must  teach  thee  to  read  it. 
Without  Him  this  product  of  divine  art  can  not  affect  thee.  Hence 
we  believe : 

First,  that  the  Holy  Spirit  chose  this  human  construction  of  the 
Scripture  purposely,  that  we  as  men  might  more  readily  live  in  it. 

Secondly,  that  these  stumbling-blocks  were  introduced  that  it 
might  be  impossible  for  us  to  lay  hold  of  its  content  with  mere 
intellectual  grasp,  without  the  exercise  of  faith. 


jffttb  Cbapter. 
THE  INCARNATION  OF  THE  WORD.* 


XVII. 
Like  One  of  Us. 


"  But  a  body  Thou  hast  prepared 
Me." — Heb.  x.  5. 

The  completion  of  the  Old  Testament  did  not  finish  the  work 
that  the  Holy  Spirit  undertook  for  the  whole  Church.  The  Scrip- 
ture may  be  the  instrument  whereby  to  act  upon  the  consciousness 
of  the  sinner  and  to  open  his  eyes  to  the  beauty  of  the  divine  life, 
but  it  can  not  impart  that  life  to  the  Church.  Hence  it  is  followed 
by  another  work  of  the  Holy  Spirit,  viz.,  thQ preparation  of  the  body 
of  Christ. 

The  well-known  words  of  Psalm  xl.  6,  7 :  "  Sacrifice  and  offering 
Thou  didst  not  desire ;  7?iine  ears  Thou  hast  pierced ;  burnt-offering 
and  sin-offering  hast  Thou  not  required.  Then  said  I,  Lo,  I  come: 
in  the  volume  of  the  book  it  is  written  of  me," — are  rendered  by  St. 
Paul :  "  Sacrifice  and  offering  Thou  wouldst  not,  but  a  body  Thou 
hast  prepared  me  ;  in  burnt-offerings  and  sin-offerings  Thou  hast  no 
pleasure:  lo,  I  come,  in  the  volume  of  the  book  it  is  written  of  me." 
We  do  not  discuss  how  the  words,  "  Mine  ears  hast  Thou  pierced," 
can  mean  also,  "  A  body  Thou  hast  prepared  me."  For  our  present 
purpose  it  is  immaterial  whether  one  says  with  Junius ;  "  The  ear  is 
a  member  of  the  body;  by  the  piercing  of  the  ear  hearing  becomes 
possible ;  and  only  by  the  hearing  does  the  body  become  an  instru- 
ment of  obedience " ;  or  with  another :  "  As  the  body  of  the  slave 
became  an  instrument  of  obedience  by  the  piercing  of  the  ear,  so 

♦Owing  to  the  recent  publication  of  the  author's  work,  "The  Incarna- 
tion of  the  Word,"  this  subject  is  presented  here  in  an  abbreviated  form. 


8o  THE    INCARNATION    OF   THE    WORD 

did  the  body  of  Christ  become  an  instrument  of  obedience  by  the 
conception  of  the  Holy  Spirit";  or  finally:  "  As  the  Israelite  became 
a  servant  by  having  his  ear  pierced,  so  has  the  Eternal  Son  adopted 
the  form  of  a  servant  by  becoming  partaker  of  our  flesh  and  blood." 
St.  Paul's  infallible  exposition  of  Psalm  xl.  7  does  not  raise  any  seri- 
ous objection  to  any  of  these  renderings.  It  suffices  our  present 
purpose  if  it  be  only  acknowledged  that,  according  to  Heb.  x.  5, 
the  Church  must  confess  that  there  was  a  preparation  of  the  body  of 
Christ. 

This  being  conceded  and  taken  in  connection  with  what  the 
Gospel  relates  concerning  the  conception,  it  can  not  be  denied  that 
in  the  preparing  of  the  body  of  the  Lord  there  is  a  peculiar  work  of 
the  Holy  Spirit.  For  the  angel  said  to  Mary:  "The  Holy  Ghost 
shall  come  upon  thee  and  the  power  of  the  Highest  shall  over- 
shadow thee  ;  therefore  also  that  holy  thing  which  shall  be  born  of 
thee  shall  be  called  the  Son  of  God"  (Luke  i.  35).  And  again: 
"  Joseph,  thou  son  of  David,  fear  not  to  take  unto  thee  Mary  thy 
wife,  for  that  which  is  conceived  in  her  is  of  the  Holy  Ghost "  (Matt. 
i.  20).  Both  passages,  apart  from  their  proper  meanings,  evidently 
seek  to  produce  the  impression  that  the  conception  and  birth  of 
Jesus  are  extraordinary;  that  they  did  not  occur  after  the  will  of 
man,  but  result  from  an  operation  of  the  Holy  Spirit. 

Like  all  other  outgoing  works  of  God,  the  preparation  of  the 
body  of  Christ  is  a  divine  work  common  to  the  three  Persons. 

It  is  erroneous  to  say  that  the  Holy  Spirit  is  the  Creator  of  the 
body  of  Jesus,  or,  as  some  have  expressed  it,  "  That  the  Holy  Spirit 
was  the  Father  of  Christ,  according  to  His  human  nature."  Such 
representations  must  be  rejected,  since  they  destroy  the  confession 
of  the  Holy  Trinity.  This  confession  can  not  be  maintained  when 
any  of  the  outgoing  works  of  God  are  represented  as  not  common 
to  the  three  Persons. 

We  wish  to  emphasize,  therefore,  that  not  the  Holy  Spirit  alone, 
but  the  Triune  God,  prepared  the  body  of  the  Mediator.  The 
Father  and  even  the  Son  cooperated  in  this  divine  act. 

However,  as  we  have  seen  in  Creation  and  Providence,  in  this 
cooperation  the  work  of  each  Person  bears  its  own  distinctive  mark. 
From  the  Father,  of  whom  are  all  things,  proceeded  the  material 
of  the  body  of  Christ,  the  creation  of  the  human  soul,  and  of  all  His 
gifts  and  powers,  together  with  the  whole  plan  of  the  Incarnation. 
From  the  Son,  who  is  the  "n^isdom  of  the  Father,  disposing  and 


LIKE   ONE    OF   US  81 

arranging  all  things  in  Creation,  proceeded  the  holy  disposition  and 
arrangement  with  reference  to  the  Incarnation.  And  as  the  corre- 
lated acts  of  the  Father  and  the  Son  in  Creation  and  Providence 
receive  animation  and  perfection  through  the  Holy  Spirit,  so  there 
is  in  the  Incarnation  a  peculiar  act  of  the  Holy  Spirit  through  which 
the  acts  of  Father  and  Son  in  this  mystery  receive  completion  and 
manifestation.  Therefore  it  is  said  in  Heb.  x.  7  of  the  Triune  God : 
"A  body  Thou  hast  prepared  Me";  while  it  is  also  declared  that 
that  which  is  conceived  in  Mary  is  of  the  Holy  Ghost. 

This,  however,  may  not  be  explained  in  the  ordinary  sense.  It 
might  be  said  that  there  is  nothing  wonderful  in  this,  for  Job 
declares  (chap,  xxxiii.  4),  "  The  Spirit  of  the  Lord  hath  given  me 
life,"  and  of  Christ  we  read  that  He  was  born  of  Mary,  being  con- 
ceived by  the  Holy  Ghost.  These  two  cover  the  same  ground. 
Both  instances  connect  the  birth  of  a  child  with  an  act  of  the  Holy 
Spirit.  While,  as  regards  the  birth  of  Christ,  we  do  not  deny  this 
ordinary  act  of  the  Holy  Spirit,  which  is  essential  to  the  quickening 
of  all  life,  especially  that  of  a  human  being,  yet  we  do  deny  that  the 
conception  by  the  Holy  Spirit  was  the  ordinary  act.  The  ancient 
confession,  "  I  believe  in  Jesus  Christ,  His  Only-Begotton  Son  our 
Lord,  who  was  conceived  by  the  Holy  G/iosf,"reiersto  a  divine  miracle 
and  a  deep  mystery,  in  which  the  work  of  the  Holy  Spirit  must  be 
glorified. 

Accordingly  a  complete  analysis  of  this  work  is  impossible.  If 
not,  it  would  cease  to  be  a  miracle.  Wherefore  let  us  look  into 
this  matter  only  with  deepest  reverence,  and  not  advance  theories 
contrary  to  the  Word  of  God.  What  God  has  been  pleased  to 
reveal  we  know ;  what  His  Word  only  hints  we  can  know  only  in 
faint  outlines;  and  what  is  advanced  outside  of  the  Word  is  only 
the  efifort  of  a  meddlesome  spirit  or  unhallowed  curiosity. 

In  this  work  of  the  Holy  Spirit  two  things  must  be  distinguished: 

First,  the  creation  of  the  human  nature  of  Jesus. 

Secondly,  His  separation  from  sinners. 

On  the  first  point,  the  Scripture  teaches  that  no  man  ever  could 
claim  paternal  connection  with  Jesus.  Joseph  appears  and  acts  as 
the  stepfather  of  Christ;  but  of  a  fellowship  of  life  and  origin 
between  him  and  Jesus  the  Scripture  never  speaks.  Indeed,  Jo- 
seph's neighbors  regarded  Jesus  as  the  Son  of  the  carpenter,  but  the 
Scripture  always  treats  this  as  an  error.  St.  John,  declaring  that 
6 


82  THE    INCARNATION    OF   THE    WORD 

the  children  of  God  are  bom  not  of  the  will  of  man,  nor  of  the  will 
of  the  flesh,  but  of  God,  undoubtedly  borrowed  this  glorious  descrip- 
tion of  our  higher  birth  from  the  extraordinary  act  of  God  which 
scintillates  in  the  conception  and  birth  of  Christ.  The  fact  that 
Mary  was  called  a  virgin ;  that  Joseph  was  troubled  at  the  discovery 
of  his  bride's  condition;  that  he  intended  secretly  to  leave  her,  and 
that  an  angel  appeared  to  him  in  a  dream — in  a  word,  the  whole 
Gospel  narrative,  as  well  as  the  unbroken  tradition  of  the  Church, 
allows  no  other  confession  than  that  the  conception  and  birth  of 
Christ  were  of  Mary  the  virgin,  but  not  pf  Joseph  her  betrothed 
husband. 

Excluding  the  man,  the  Scripture  thrice  puts  the  Holy  Spirit  in 
the  foreground  as  the  Author  of  the  conception.  St.  Matthew  says 
(chap.  i.  i8):  "When  Mary  had  been  betrothed  to  Joseph,  before 
they  came  together,  she  was  found  with  child  by  the  Holy  Ghost.' 
And  again,  in  ver.  20:  "  For  that  which  is  conceived  in  her  is  of  the 
Holy  Ghost."  Lastly,  Luke  says  (chap.  i.  35) :  "  The  Holy  Ghost 
shall  come  upon  thee  and  the  power  of  the  Highest  shall  over- 
shadow thee ;  therefore  also  that  holy  thing  which  shall  be  born  of 
thee  shall  be  called  the  Son  of  God."  These  clear  statements  do 
not  receive  full  recognition  unless  it  be  plainly  confessed  that  the 
conception  of  the  germ  of  a  human  nature  in  the  womb  of  the  vir- 
gin was  an  act  of  the  Holy  Spirit. 

It  is  not  expedient  nor  lawful  to  enter  more  deeply  into  this 
matter.  How  human  life  originates  after  conception,  whether  the 
embryo  immediately  contains  a  human  person  or  whether  he  is 
created  therein  afterward,  and  other  similar  questions,  must  remain 
unanswered,  perhaps  forever.  We  may  advance  theories,  but  the 
Omnipotent  God  allows  ,no  man  to  discover  His  workings  in  the 
hidden  laboratories  of  His  creative  power.  Wherefore  all  that 
may  be  said  according  to  Scripture  is  contained  in  the  following 
four  particulars : 

First,  in  the  conception  of  Christ  not  a  new  being  was  called 
into  life  as  in  all  other  cases,  but  One  who  had  existed  from  eter- 
nity, and  who  then  entered  into  vital  relation  with  the  human  nature. 
The  Scripture  clearly  reveals  this.  Christ  existed  from  before  the 
foundation  of  the  world.  His  goings  forth  were  of  old,  from  the  days 
of  eternity.  He  took  upon  Himself  the  form  of  a  servant.  Even  tho 
the  biologist  should  discover  the  mystery  of  the  human  birth,  it 
could  not  reveal  anything  regarding  the  conception  of  the  Mediator. 


LIKE   ONE   OF    US  83 

Second,  it  is  not  the  conception  of  a  human  person,  but  of  a 
human  nature.  Where  a  new  being  is  conceived,  a  human  person 
comes  into  existence.  But  when  the  Person  of  the  Son,  who  was 
with  the  Father  from  eternity,  partakes  of  our  flesh  and  blood.  He 
adopts  our  human  nature  in  the  unity  of  His  Person,  thus  becoming 
a  true  man ;  but  it  is  not  the  creation  of  a  new  person.  The  Scrip- 
ture clearly  shows  this.  In  Christ  appears  but  one  ego,  being  in 
the  same  Person  at  once  the  Son  of  God  and  the  Son  of  man. 

Third,  from  this  it  follows  not  that  a  new  flesh  was  created  in 
Mary  as  the  Mennonites  used  to  teach,  but  that  the  fruit  in  Mary's 
womb,  from  which  Jesus  was  born,  was  taken  from  and  nourished 
with  her  own  blood— the  very  blood  which  through  her  parents  she 
had  received  ivova  fallen  Adam. 

Last,  the  Mediator  bom  of  Mary  not  only  partook  of  our  flesh 
and  blood,  such  as  it  existed  in  Adam  and  as  we  have  inherited  it 
from  Adam,  but  He  was  bom  a  true  man,  thinking,  willing,  and 
feeling  like  other  men,  susceptible  to  all  the  human  emotions  and 
sensations  that  cause  the  countless  thrills  and  throbs  of  human  life. 

And  yet  He  was  separate  from  sinners.  Of  this  we  speak  in  the 
next  article. 

Let  this  suffice  for  the  fact  of  the  conception,  from  which  fact 
we  derive  the  precious  comfort:  "  That  it  coi>ers  in  the  sight  of  God 
my  sin  and  guilt  wherein  I  was  conceived  and  brought  forth"  (Heidel 
berg  Catechism,  quest.  36). 


XVIII. 
Guiltless  and  Without  Sin. 

"  For  such  an  High  Priest  became  us,  who 
is  holy,  harmless,  undefiled,  separate 
from  sinners,  and  made  higher  than  the 
heavens." — Heb.  vii.  26. 

Throughout  the  ages  the  Church  has  confessed  that  Christ  took 
upon  Himself  real  human  nature  from  the  virgin  Mary,  not  as  it 
was  before  the  fall,  but  such  as  it  had  become  by  and  after  the  fall. 

This  is  clearly  stated  in  Heb.  ii.  14,  17 :  "  Forasmuch  as  the  chil- 
dren are  partakers  of  flesh  and  blood.  He  also  Himself  took  part  of 
the  same.  .  ,  .  Wherefore  in  all  things  it  behooved  Him  to  be 
made  like  unto  His  brethren,  to  make  reconciliation  for  the  sins  of 
the  people."  It  was  even  such  a  partaking  of  our  nature  as  would 
make  Him  feel  Satan's  goad,  for  there  follows:  "  In  that  He  Him- 
self hath  suffered,  being  tempted.  He  is  able  to  succor  them  that  are 
tempted."  Upon  the  authority  of  the  divine  Word  we  can  not 
doubt  then  that  the  Son  of  God  became  man  in  our  fallen  nature. 
It  is  our  misery,  by  virtue  of  the  inherited  guilt  of  Adam,  that  we 
can  not  live  and  act  but  as  partakers  of  the  flesh  and  blood  corrupted 
by  the  fall.  And  since  we  as  children  are  partakers  of  flesh  and 
blood,  so  is  He  also  become  partaker  of  the  same.  Hence  it  can 
not  be  too  strongly  emphasized  that  the  Son  of  God,  walking  among 
men,  bore  the  same  nature  in  which  we  spend  our  lives ;  that  His 
flesh  had  the  same  origin  as  our  flesh ;  that  the  blood  which  ran 
through  His  veins  is  the  same  as  our  blood,  and  came  to  Him  as 
well  as  to  us  from  the  same  fountain  in  Adam.  We  must  feel,  and 
dare  confess,  that  in  Gethsemane  our  Savior  agonized  in  our  flesh 
and  blood ;  that  it  was  our  flesh  and  blood  that  were  nailed  to  the 
cross.  The  "  blood  of  reconciliation  "  is  taken  from  the  very  blood 
which  thirsts  after  reconciliation. 

With  equal  assurance,  however,  bowing  to  the  authority  of  the 
Scripture,  we  confess  that  this  intimate  union  of  the  Son  of  God 
with  the  fallen  human  nature  does  not  imply  the  least  participation 


GUILTLESS   AND    WITHOUT    SIN  85 

of  our  sin  and  guilt.  In  the  same  epistle  in  which  the  apostle  sets 
forth  distinctly  the  fellowship  of  Jesus  with  the  human  flesh  and 
blood,  he  bears  equally  clear  testimony  to  the  fact  of  His  sinless- 
ness,  so  that  every  misunderstanding  may  be  obviated.  As  by  vir- 
tue of  our  conception  and  birth  we  are  unholy,  guilty,  and  defiled, 
one  with  sinners,  and  therefore  burdened  with  the  condemnation  of 
hell,  so  is  the  Mediator  conceived  and  born  holy,  harmless,  undefiled, 
separate  from  sinners,  made  higher  than  the  heavens.  And  with  equal 
emphasis  the  apostle  declares  that  sin  did  not  enter  into  His  temp- 
tations, for,  altho  tempted  in  all  things,  like  as  we  are,  yet  He  was 
ever  without  sin. 

Therefore  the  mystery  of  the  Incarnation  lies  in  the  apparent 
contradiction  of  Christ's  union  with  our  fallen  nature,  which  on  the 
one  hand  is  so  intimate  as  to  make  Him  susceptible  to  its  tempta- 
tions, while  on  the  other  hand  He  is  completely  cut  off  from  all 
fellowship  with  its  sin.  The  confession  which  weakens  or  elimi- 
nates either  of  these  factors  must,  when  logically  developed,  de- 
generate into  serious  heresy.  By  saying,  "  The  Mediator  is  con- 
ceived and  born  in  our  nature,  as  it  was  before  the  fall,"  we  sever 
the  fellowship  between  Him  and  us ;  and  by  allowing  that  He  had 
the  least  personal  part  of  our  guilt  and  sin,  we  sever  His  fellowship 
with  the  divine  nature. 

Does  the  Scripture  not  teach  then  that  the  Mediator  was  made 
sin  and  bore  the  curse  for  us,  and  "  as  a  worm  and  no  man  "  suffered 
deepest  distress? 

We  answer :  Yea,  verily,  without  this  we  could  have  no  redemp- 
tion. But  in  all  this  He  acted  as  our  Substitute.  His  own  person- 
ality was  not  in  the  least  affected  by  it.  His  burdening  Himself 
with  our  sins  was  a  High- Priestly  act,  performed  vicariously.  He 
was  made  sifi,  but  never  a  sinner.  Sinner  means  one  who  is  persoti- 
ally  affected  by  sin;  Christ's  person  never  was.  He  never  had  any 
fellowship  with  sin  other  than  that  of  love  and  compassion,  to  bear 
it  as  our  High  Priest  and  Substitute.  Yet,  tho  He  was  exceedingly 
sorrowful  even  unto  death,  tho  He  was  sorely  tempted  so  that  He 
cried  out,  "  Let  this  cup  pass  from  Me,"  in  the  center  of  His  personal 
being  He  remained  absolutely  free  from  the  least  contact  with  sin. 

A  close  examination  of  the  way  by  which  we  become  partakers 
of  sin  will  shed  more  light  on  this  subject. 

Every  individual  sin  is  not  of  our  own  begetting  only,  but  a  par- 
ticipation in  the  common   sin,    the  one  mighty  sin  of  the  whole 


86  THE   INCARNATION   OF  THE   WORD 

race  against  which  the  anger  of  God  is  kindled.  Not  only  do  we 
partake  of  this  sin  by  an  act  of  the  will  as  we  grow  up ;  it  was  ours 
already  in  the  cradle,  in  our  mother's  womb — yea,  even  in  our  con- 
ception. "  Conceived  and  born  in  sin  "  is  the  awful  confession  which 
the  Church  of  God's  redeemed  can  never  deny. 

For  this  reason  the  Church  has  always  laid  such  stress  upon  the 
doctrine  of  inherited  guilt,  as  declared  by  St.  Paul  in  Rom.  v.  Our 
inherited  guilt  does  not  spring  from  inherited  sin  ;  on  the  contrary, 
we  are  conceived  and  born  in  sin  because  we  stand  in  inherited  guilt. 
Adam's  guilt  is  imputed  to  all  that  were  in  his  loins.  Adam  lived 
and  fell  as  our  natural  and  federal  head.  Our  moral  life  stands  in 
root-relation  to  his  moral  life.  We  were  in  him.  He  carried  us  in 
himself.  His  state  determined  our  state.  Hence  by  the  righteous 
judgment  of  God  his  guilt  was  imputed  to  all  his  posterity,  for  as 
much  as,  by  the  will  of  man,  they  should  successively  be  born  of 
his  loins.  By  virtue  of  this  inherited  guilt  we  are  conceived  in  sin 
and  born  in  the  participation  of  sin. 

God  is  our  Creator,  and  from  His  hands  we  came  forth  pure  and 
iindefiled.  To  teach  otherwise  is  to  make  Him  the  Author  of  indi- 
vidual sin,  and  to  destroy  the  sense  of  guilt  in  the  soul.  Hence  sin, 
especially  original  sin,  does  not  originate  in  our  creation  by  the 
hand  of  God,  but  by  our  vital  relation  with  the  sinful  race.  Our 
person  does  not  proceed  from  our  parents.  This  is  in  direct  con- 
flict with  the  indivisibility  of  spirit,  with  the  Word  of  God,  and  its 
confession  that  God  is  our  Creator,  "  who  has  also  made  7/ie." 

However,  all  creation  is  not  the  same.  There  is  mediate  and 
immediate  creation.  God  created  light  by  immediate  creation,  but 
grass  and  herbs  mediately,  for  they  spring  from  the  ground.  The 
same  difference  exists  between  the  creation  of  Adam  and  that  of 
his  posterity.  The  creation  of  Adam  was  immediate :  not  of  his 
body,  which  was  taken  from  the  dust,  but  of  his  person,  the  human 
being  called  Adam.  His  posterity,  however,  is  a  mediate  creation, 
for  every  conception  is  made  to  depend  upon  the  will  of  man. 
Hence  while  we  come  from  the  hand  of  God  pure  and  undefiled, 
we  become  at  the  same  time  partakers  of  the  inherited  and  imputed 
guilt  of  Adam;  and  by  virtue  of  this  inherited  guilt,  through  our 
conception  and  birth,  God  brings  us  into  fellowship  with  the  sin  of 
the  race.  How  this  is  brought  about  is  an  unfathomable  mystery; 
but  this  is  a  fact,  that  we  become  partakers  of  the  sin  of  the  race  by 
generation,  which  begins  with  conception  and  ends  with  birth. 


GUILTLESS   AND    WITHOUT   SIN  87 

And  now,  with  reference  to  the  Person  of  Christ,  everything 
depends  upon  the  question  whether  the  original  guilt  of  Adam 
was  imputed  also  to  the  man  Jesus  Christ. 

If  so,  then,  like  all  other  men,  Christ  was  conceived  and  bom  in 
sin  by  virtue  of  this  original  guilt.  Where  imputed  original  guilt 
is,  there  must  be  sinful  defilement.  But,  on  the  other  hand,  where 
it  is  not,  sinful  defilement  can  not  be ;  hence  He  that  is  called  holy 
and  harmless  must  be  undefiled.  Adam's  guilt  was  not  imputed  to 
the  man  Jesus  Christ.  If  it  were,  then  He  was  also  conceived  and 
born  in  sin;  then  He  did  not  suffer  vicariously,  but  for  Himself 
personally;  then  there  can  be  no  blood  of  reconciliation.  If  the 
original  guilt  of  Adam  was  imputed  to  the  man  Jesus  Christ,  then 
by  virtue  of  His  sinful  conception  and  birth  He  was  also  subject  to 
death  and  condemnation,  and  He  could  not  have  received  life  but 
by  regeneration.  Then  it  also  follows  that  either  this  Man  is  Him- 
self in  need  of  a  Mediator,  or  that  we,  like  Him,  can  enter  into  life 
without  a  Go-between. 

But  this  whole  representation  is  without  foundation,  and  is  to  be 
rejected  without  qualification.  The  whole  Scripture  opposes  it. 
Adam's  guilt  is  imputed  to  his  posterity.  But  Christ  is  not  a 
descendant  of  Adam.  He  existed  before  Adam.  He  was  not  born 
passively  as  we,  but  Himself  took  upon  Him  the  human  flesh.  He 
does  not  stand  under  Adam  as  His  head,  but  is  Himself  a  new 
Head,  having  others  under  Him,  of  whom  He  saith:  "Behold  Me 
and  the  children  whom  Thou  hast  given  Me"  (Heb.  ii.  13).  True, 
Luke  iii.  23,  28  contains  the  genealogy  of  Joseph,  which  closes 
with  the  words,  "The  son  of  Adam,  the  son  of  God";  but  the 
Evangelist  adds  emphatically,  "as  was  supposed";  hence  Jesus 
was  not  the  son  of  Joseph.  And  in  Matthew  His  genealogy  stops 
at  Abraham.  Altho  on  Pentecost  St.  Peter  says  that  David  knew 
that  God  would  raise  up  Christ  out  of  the  fruit  of  his  loins,  yet  he 
adds  this  limitation,  "  according  to  the  flesh."  Moreover,  realizing 
that  the  Son  did  not  assume  a  human  person,  but  the  human  nature, 
so  that  His  Ego  is  that  of  the  Person  of  the  Son  of  God,  it  neces- 
sarily follows  that  Jesus  can  not  be  a  descendant  of  Adam;  hence 
the  imputation  of  Adam's  guilt  to  Christ  would  annihilate  the 
divine  Person.  Such  imputation  is  utterly  out  of  the  question. 
To  Him  nothing  is  imputed.  The  sins  He  bore  He  took  upon  Him- 
self voluntarily,  vicariously,  as  our  High  Priest  and  Mediator. 


XIX. 
The   Holy  Spirit  in   the   Mystery   of  the    Incarnation. 

"The  Word  was  made  flesh  and 
dwelt  among  us,  and  we  beheld 
His  glory.'"— Jo /in  i.  14. 

There  is  one  more  question  in  the  treatment  of  this  subject: 
What  was  the  extraordinary  operation  of  the  Holy  Spirit  that 
enabled  the  Son  of  God  to  assume  our  fallen  nature  without  being 
defiled  by  sin? 

Altho  we  concede  it  to  be  unlawful  to  pry  into  that  behind  the 
veil  which  God  does  not  freely  open  to  us,  yet  we  may  seek  the 
meaning  of  the  words  that  embody  the  mystery ;  and  this  we  intend 
to  do  in  the  discussion  of  this  question. 

The  Incarnation  of  Christ,  with  reference  to  His  sinlessness,  is 
connected  with  the  being  of  sin,  the  character  of  original  sin,  the 
relation  between  body  and  soul,  regeneration,  and  the  working  of 
the  Holy  Spirit  in  believers.  Hence  it  is  necessary  for  a  clear 
understanding  to  have  a  correct  view  of  the  relation  of  Christ's 
human  nature  to  these  important  matters. 

Sin  is  not  a  spiritual  bacillus  hiding  in  the  blood  of  the  mother 
and  received  into  the  veins  of  the  child.  Sin  is  not  material  and 
tangible ;  its  nature  is  moral  and  spiritual,  belonging  to  the  invisi- 
ble things  whose  results  we  can  perceive  but  whose  real  being 
escapes  detection.  Wherefore  in  opposition  to  Manicheism  and 
kindred  heresies,  the  Church  has  always  confessed  that  sin  is  not  a 
material  substance  in  our  flesh  and  blood,  but  that  it  consists  in  the 
loss  of  the  original  righteousness  in  which  Adam  and  Eve  bloomed 
and  prospered  in  Paradise.  Nor  do  believers  differ  on  this  point, 
for  all  acknowledge  that  sin  is  the  loss  of  original  righteousness. 

However,  tracing  the  next  step  in  the  course  of  sin,  we  meet  a 
serious  difference  between  the  Church  of  Rome  and  our  own.  The 
former  teaches  that  Adam  came  forth  perfect  from  the  hand  of  his 
Maker,  even  before  he  was  endowed  with  original  righteousness. 


HOLY  SPIRIT  IN  MYSTERY  OF  INCARNATION     89 

This  implies  that  the  human  nature  is  finished  without  original 
righteousness,  which  is  put  on  him  like  a  robe  or  ornament.  As 
our  present  nature  is  complete  without  dress  or  ornament,  which 
are  needed  only  to  appear  respectable  in  the  world,  so  was  the 
human  nature,  according  to  Rome,  complete  and  perfect  in  itself 
without  righteousness,  which  serves  only  as  dress  and  jewel.  But 
the  Reformed  churches  have  always  opposed  this  view,  maintain- 
ing that  original  righteousness  is  an  essential  part  of  the  human 
nature;  hence  that  the  human  nature  in  Adam  was  not  complete 
without  it;  that  it  was  not  merely  added  to  Adam's  nature,  but  that 
Adam  was  created  in  the  possession  of  it  as  the  direct  manifestation 
of  his  life. 

If  Adam's  nature  was  perfect  before  he  possessed  original  right- 
eousness, it  follows  that  it  remains  perfect  after  the  loss  of  it;  in 
which  case  we  describe  sin  simply  as  "  carentia  justiti^  originalis," 
i.e.,  the  want  of  original  righteousness.  This  used  to  be  expressed 
thus :  Is  original  righteousness  a  natural  or  supernatural  good?  If 
natural,  then  its  loss  caused  the  human  nature  to  be  wholly  cor- 
rupt; if  supernatural,  then  its  loss  might  take  away  the  glory  and 
honor  of  that  nature,  but  as  a  human  nature  it  retained  nearly  all 
of  its  original  power. 

Bellarminus  said  that  desire,  disease,  conflict,  etc.,  naturally  be- 
long to  human  nature;  and  original  righteousness  was  a  golden 
bridle  laid  upon  this  nature,  to  check  and  control  this  desire,  dis- 
ease, conflict,  etc.     Hence  when  the  golden  bridle  was  lost,  disease, 
desire,  conflict,  and  death  broke  loose  from  restraint  (torn,   iv., 
chap,  v.,  col.   IS,  17,   18).     Thomas  Aquinas,  to  whom  Calvin  was 
greatly  indebted,  and  whom  the  present  Pope  has  earnestly  com- 
mended to  his  priests,  had  a  more  correct  view.     This  is  evident 
from  his  definition  of  sin.     If  disease,  desire,  etc.,  existed  in  man 
when  he  came  from  the  hand  of  God,  and  only  supernatural  grace 
can  restrain  them,  then  sin  is  merely  the  loss  of  original  righteous- 
ness, hence  purely  negative.     But  if  original  righteousness  belongs 
to  human  nature  and  was  not  simply  added  to  it  supematurally, 
then    sin    is    twofold:    first,   the  loss  of   original   righteousness; 
second,  the  ruin  and  corruption  of  hujnan  nature  itself,  disorganizing 
and  disjointing  it.     Thomas  Aquinas  acknowledges  this  last  aspect, 
for  he  teaches  ("  Summa  Theologise,"  prima  secundee,   ix.,  sect. 
2,  art.  I)  that  sin  is  not  only  deprivation  and  loss,  but  also  a  state  of 
corruption,  wherein  must  be  distinguished  the  lack  of  what  ought 


90  THE    INCARNATION    OF   THE   WORD 

to  be  present,  i.e.,  original  righteousness,  and  the  presence  of  what 
ought  to  be  absent,  viz.,  an  abnormal  derangement  of  the  parts  and 
powers  of  the  soul. 

Our  fathers  held  almost  the  same  view.  They  judged  that  si« 
is  not  material,  but  the  loss  of  original  righteousness.  But  since 
original  righteousness  belongs  to  the  sound  human  nature,  the  loss 
did  not  leave  that  nature  intact,  but  damaged,  disjointed,  and  cor- 
rupted it. 

To  illustrate :  A  beautiful  geranium  that  adorned  the  window 
was  killed  by  the  frost.  Leaves  and  flowers  withered,  leaving  only 
a  mass  of  mildew  and  decay.  What  was  the  cause?  Merely  the 
loss  of  the  sun's  light  and  heat.  But  that  was  enough;  for  these 
belong  to  the  nature  of  the  plant,  and  are  essential  to  its  life  and 
beauty.  Deprived  of  them  it  remains  not  what  it  is,  but  its  nature 
loses  its  soundness,  and  this  causes  decay,  mildew,  and  poisonous 
gases,  which  soon  destroy  it.  So  of  human  nature :  In  Paradise 
Adam  was  like  the  blooming  plant,  flourishing  in  the  warmth  and 
brightness  of  the  Lord's  presence.  By  sin  he  fled  from  that  pres- 
ence. The  result  was  not  merely  the  loss  of  light  and  heat,  but 
since  these  were  essential  to  his  nature,  that  nature  languished, 
drooped,  and  withered.  The  mildew  of  corruption  formed  upon  it; 
and  the  positive  process  of  dissolution  was  begun,  to  end  only  in 
eternal  death. 

Facts  and  history  prove  even  now  that  the  human  body  has 
weakened  since  the  days  of  the  Reformation ;  that  bad  habits  of  a 
certain  character  sometimes  pass  from  father  to  child  even  where 
the  early  death  of  the  former  precludes  propagation  by  education 
and  example.  Hence  the  difference  between  Adam,  body  and  soul, 
before  the  fall  and  his  descendants  after  the  fall  is  not  merely  the 
loss  of  the  Sun  of  Righteousness,  which  by  nature  shines  no  longer 
upon  them,  but  the  damage  caused  by  this  loss  to  the  human  nature, 
in  body  and  soul,  which  thereby  are  weakened,  diseased,  corrupted, 
and  thrown  out  of  balance. 

This  corrupt  nature  passes  from  the  father  to  the  child,  as  the 
Confession  of  Faith  expresses  it  in  article  xv. :  "  That  original  sin  is 
a  corruption  of  the  whole  nature,  and  an  hereditary  disease,  where- 
with infants  themselves  are  infected  in  their  mother's  womb,  and 
which  produces  in  man  all  sorts  of  sin,  being  in  him  as  a  root 
thereof." 

However,  the  relation  between  a  person  and  his  ego  must  be 


HOLY  SPIRIT  IN  MYSTERY  OF  INCARNATION     91 

taken  into  account.  The  disordered  condition  of  our  flesh  and 
blood  inclines  and  incites  to  sin,  a  fact  that  has  been  observed  in 
the  victims  of  certain  terrible  diseases  as  their  effect.  But  this 
could  not  result  in  sin  if  there  were  no  personal  ego  to  allow  itselt 
to  be  excited.  Again,  tho  the  unbalanced  powers  of  the  soul  which 
cause  the  darkening  of  the  understanding,  the  blunting  of  the  sensi- 
bilities, and  the  weakening  of  the  will  arouse  the  passions,  yet 
even  this  could  not  result  in  sin  if  no  personal  ego  were  affected 
by  this  working.  Hence  sin  puts  its  own  mark  upon  this  corrup- 
tion only  when  the  personal  ego  turns  away  from  God,  and  in  that 
disordered  soul  and  diseased  body  stands  condemned  before  Him. 

If  according  to  established  law  the  unclean  brings  forth  the 
unclean,  and  if  God  has  made  our  birth  to  depend  upon  generation 
by  sinful  men,  it  must  follow  that  by  nature  we  are  bom — first, 
without  original  righteousness;  secondly,  with  an  impaired  body; 
thirdly,  with  a  soul  out  of  harmony  with  itself,  lastly,  with  a 
personal  ego  which  is  turned  away  from  God. 

All  of  which  would  apply  to  the  Person  of  the  Mediator  if,  like 
one  of  us,  He  had  been  born  a  human  person  by  the  will  of  man 
and  not  of  God.  But  since  He  was  not  born  a  human  person,  but 
took  our  human  nature  upon  Himself,  and  was  conceived  not  by  the 
will  of  man,  but  by  an  operation  of  the  Holy  Spirit,  there  could  not 
be  in  Him  an  ego  turned  away  from  God,  nor  could  the  weakness 
of  His  human  nature  for  a  moment  be  a  sinful  weakness.  Or  to 
put  it  in  the  concrete :  Altho  there  was  in  that  fallen  nature  some- 
thing to  incite  Him  to  desire,  yet  it  never  became  desire.  There 
is  a  difference  between  the  temptations  and  conflicts  of  Jesus  and 
those  of  ourselves;  while  our  ego  and  nature  desire  against  God, 
His  holy  Ego  opposed  the  incitement  of  His  adopted  nature  and 
was  never  overcome. 

Hence  the  proper  work  of  the  Holy  Spirit  consisted  in  this : 

First,  the  creation  not  of  a  new  person,  but  of  a  human  nature, 
which  the  Son  assumed  into  union  with  His  divine  nature  in  one 
Person. 

Second,  that  the  divine-human  Ego  of  the  Mediator,  who, 
according  to  His  human  nature,  also  possessed  spiritual  life,  was 
kept  from  the  inward  defilement  which  by  virtue  of  our  birth 
affected  our  ego  and  personality. 

Hence  regeneration,  which  affects  not  our  nature  but  our  person, 
is  out  of  the  question  with  reference  to  Christ.     But  what  Christ 


92  THE   INCARNATION    OF   THE   WORD 

needed  was  the  gifts  of  the  Holy  Ghost  to  enable  His  weakened 
nature,  in  increasing  measure,  to  be  His  instrument  in  the  working 
out  of  His  holy  design;  and  finally  to  transform  His  weakened 
nature  not  by  regeneration,  but  by  resurrection  into  a  glorious 
nature,  divested  of  the  last  trace  of  weakness  and  prepared  to 
unfold  its  highest  glory. 


Sijtb  Cbapter. 
THE  MEDIATOR. 


XX. 
The  Holy  Spirit  in  the  Mediator. 

*'  Who  through  the  Eternal  Spirit 
ofifered  Himself  without  spot  to 
God." — }Ieb.  ix.  14, 

The  work  of  the  Holy  Spirit  in  the  Person  of  Christ  is  not 
exhausted  in  the  Incarnation,  but  appears  conspicuously  in  the 
work  of  the  Mediator.  We  consider  this  work  in  the  development  of 
His  human  nature  ;  in  the  cotisecration  to  His  office  ;  in  His  humiliation 
unto  death  j  in  His  resurrection,  exaltation,  and  return  in  glory. 

First — The  work  of  the  Holy  Spirit  in  the  development  of  the  human 
nature  in  Jesus. 

We  have  said  before,  and  now  repeat,  that  we  consider  the  effort 
to  write  the  "  Life  of  Jesus"  either  unlauful  or  its  title  a  misnomer : 
a  misnomer  when,  pretending  to  write  a  biography  of  Jesus,  the 
writer  simply  omits  to  explain  the  psychological  facts  of  His  life ; 
unlawful  "when  he  explains  these  facts  from  the  human  nature  of 
Jesus. 

There  never  was  a  life  of  Jesus  in  the  sense  of  a  human,  personal 
existence ;  and  the  tendency  to  substitute  the  various  biographies 
of  Jesus  of  Nazareth  for  the  simple  Gospel  narratives  aims  really  at 
nothing  else  than  to  place  the  unique  Person  of  the  God-man  on  the 
same  level  with  the  geniuses  and  great  men  of  the  world ,  to  hu- 
manize Him,  and  thus  to  annihilate  the  Messiah  in  Him — in  other 
words,  to  secularize  Him.  And  against  this  we  solemnly  protest  with 
all  the  power  that  is  in  us. 

The  God-human  Person  of  the  Lord  Jesus  did  not  live  a  life,  but 


94  THE    MEDIATOR 

rendered  one  mighty  act  of  obedience  by  humbling  Himself  unto 
death ;  and  out  of  that  humbling  He  ascended  not  by  powers 
developed  from  His  human  nature,  but  by  a  mighty  and  extraordi- 
nary act  of  the  power  of  God.  Any  one  who  successfully  under- 
took to  write  the  life  of  Christ  could  do  no  more  than  draw  the 
picture  of  His  human  nature.  For  the  divine  nature  has  no  history, 
does  not  run  through  a  process  of  time,  but  remains  the  same  for- 
evermore. 

However,  this  does  not  prevent  us  from  inquiring,  according  to 
the  need  of  our  limitations,  in  what  manner  the  human  nature  of 
Christ  was  developed.  And  then  the  Scripture  teaches  us  that 
there  was  indeed  growth  in  His  human  nature.  St.  Luke  relates 
that  Jesus  increased  in  wisdom  and  stature  and  in  favor  with  God 
and  men.  Hence  there  was  in  His  human  nature  a  growth  and 
development  from  the  less  unto  the  greater.  This  would  have  been 
impossible  if  in  the  Messiah  the  divine  nature  had  taken  the  place 
of  the  human  ego;  for  then  the  majesty  of  the  Godhead  would 
always  and  completely  have  filled  the  human  nature.  But  this  was 
not  the  case.  The  human  nature  in  the  Mediator  was  real,  i.e.,  in 
body  and  soul  it  existed  as  it  exists  in  us,  and  all  inworking  of 
divine  life,  light,  and  power  could  manifest  itself  only  by  adapting 
itself  to  the  peculiarities  and  limitations  of  the  human  nature. 

When  maintaining  the  mistaken  view  that  the  development  of 
sinless  Adam  would  have  been  accomplished  without  the  aid  of  the 
Holy  Spirit,  it  is  natural  to  suppose  that  the  sinless  nature  of  Christ 
did  equally  develop  itself  without  the  assistance  of  the  Spirit,  of 
God.  But  knowing  from  the  Scripture  that  not  only  man's  gifts, 
powers,  and  faculties,  but  also  their  working  and  exercise  are  a 
result  of  the  work  of  the  Holy  Spirit,  we  see  the  development  of 
the  human  nature  of  Jesus  in  a  different  light  and  understand  the 
meaning  of  the  words  that  He  received  the  Holy  Spirit  7vithout 
ffieasure.  For  this  indicates  that  His  human  nature  also  received 
the  Holy  Ghost;  and  not  this  only  after  He  had  lived  for  years 
without  Him,  but  every  moment  of  His  existence  according  to  the 
measure  of  His  capacities.  Even  in  His  conception  and  birth  the 
Holy  Spirit  effected  not  only  a  separation  from  sin,  but  He  also 
endowed  His  human  nature  with  the  glorious  gifts,  powers,  and 
faculties  of  which  that  nature  is  susceptible.  Hence  His  human 
nature  received  these  gifts,  powers,  and  faculties  not  from  the  So;? 
by  communication  from  the  divine  nature,  but  from  the  Jloly  Ghost 


THE    HOLY    SPIRIT    IN   THE   MEDIATOR       95 

by   communication    to   the    human    nature;    and  this    should   be 
thoroughly  understood. 

However,  His  human  nature  did  not  receive  these  gifts,  powers, 
and  faculties  in  full  operation,  but  wholly  inoperative.  As  there 
are  in  every  infant  powers  and  faculties  that  will  remain  dormant, 
some  of  them  for  many  years,  so  there  were  in  the  human  nature  of 
Christ  powers  and  faculties  which  for  a  time  remained  slumbering. 
The  Holy  Spirit  imparted  these  endowments  to  His  human  nature 
without  measure — John  iii.  34.  This  has  reference  to  a  contrast 
between  others,  whom  the  Holy  Spirit  endowed  not  without  measure, 
but  in  limited  degree  according  to  their  individual  calling  or  des- 
tin}^ ;  and  Christ,  in  whom  there  is  no  such  distinction  or  individual- 
ity— to  whom,  therefore,  gifts,  powers,  and  faculties  are  imparted  in 
such  a  measure  that  He  never  could  feel  the  lack  of  any  gift  of  the 
Holy  Spirit.  He  lacked  nothing,  possessed  all;  not  by  virtue  of 
His  divine  nature,  which  can  not  receive  anything,  being  the  eternal 
fulness  itself,  but  by  virtue  of  His  human  nature,  which  was  endowed 
with  such  glorious  gifts  by  the  Holy  Spirit. 

However,  this  was  not  all.  Not  only  did  the  Holy  Spirit  adorn 
the  human  nature  of  Christ  with  these  endowments,  but  He  also 
caused  them  to  be  exercised,  gradually  to  enter  into  full  activity. 

This  depended  upon  the  succession  of  the  days  and  years  of  the 
time  of  His  humiliation.  Altho  His  heart  contamed  the  germ  of 
all  wisdom,  yet  as  a  child  of  one  year,  e.g..  He  could  not  know  the 
Scripture  by  means  of  His  human  understanding.  As  the  Eternal 
Son  He  knew  it,  for  He  Himself  had  given  it  to  His  Church.  But 
His  human  knowledge  had  no  free  access  to  His  divine  knowledge. 
On  the  contrary,  while  the  latter  never  increased,  knowing  all 
things  from  eternity,  the  former  was  to  learn  everything;  it  had 
nothing  of  itself.  This  is  the  increase  in  wisdom  of  which  St.  Luke 
speaks — an  increase  not  of  the  faculty,  but  of  its  exercise.  And 
this  affords  us  a  glimpse  into  the  extent  of  His  humiliation.  He 
that  knew  all  things  by  virtue  of  His  divine  nature  began  as  man 
with  knowing  nothing;  and  that  which  He  knew  as  a  man  He 
acquired  by  learning  it  under  the  influence  of  the  Holy  Spirit. 

And  the  same  applies  to  His  increase  in  stature  and  in  favor 
with  God  and  men.  Stature  refers  to  His  physical  growth,  inclu- 
ding all  that  in  the  human  nature  depends  upon  it.  Not  created  an 
adult  like  Adam,  but  born  a  child  like  each  of  us,  Jesus  had  to  grow 
and  develop  physically;  not  by  magic,  but  in  reality.     When  He 


96  THE   MEDIATOR 

lay  in  Mary's  lap,  or  as  a  boy  looked  around  in  his  stepfather's 
shop,  He  was  a  child  not  only  in  appearance  with  the  wisdom  of  a 
venerable,  hoary  head,  but  a  real  child,  whose  impressions,  feelings, 
sensations,  and  thoughts  kept  step  with  His  years.  No  doubt  His 
development  was  quick  and  beautiful,  surpassing  anything  ever 
seen  in  other  children,  so  that  the  aged  rabbis  in  the  Temple  were 
astonished  when  they  looked  upon  the  Boy  only  twelve  years  old; 
yet  it  always  remained  the  development  of  a  child  that  first  lay 
upon  His  mother's  lap,  then  learned  to  walk,  gradually  became  a 
boy  and  youth,  until  He  attained  the  fulness  of  man's  stature. 

And  as  the  Holy  Spirit  with  every  increase  of  His  human  nature 
enlarged  the  exercise  of  its  powers  and  faculties,  so  He  did  also 
with  reference  to  the  relation  of  the  human  nature  to  God  and  men, 
for  He  increased  in  favor  with  God  and  men.  Favor  has  reference 
to  the  unfolding  and  development  of  the  inward  life,  and  may 
manifest  itself  in  a  twofold  way,  either  pleasing  or  displeasing  to 
God  and  men.  Of  Jesus  it  is  said  that  in  His  development  such 
gifts  and  faculties,  dispositions  and  attributes,  powers  and  qualifi- 
cations manifested  themselves  from  the  inward  life  of  His  human 
nature  that  God's  favor  rested  upon  them,  while  they  affected  those 
around  Him  in  a  refreshing  and  helpful  way. 

Even  apart  from  His  Messiahship  Jesus  stood,  with  reference  to 
His  human  nature,  during  all  the  days  of  His  humiliation,  under  the 
constant  and  penetrating  operation  of  the  Holy  Spirit.  The  Son, 
who  lacked  nothing,  but  as  God  in  union  with  the  Father  and  the 
Holy  Spirit  possessed  all  things,  compassionately  adopted  our 
human  nature.  And  inasmuch  as  it  is  the  peculiarity  of  that  nature 
to  derive  its  gifts,  powers,  and  faculties  not  from  itself,  but  from  the 
Holy  Spirit,  by  whose  constant  operation  alone  they  can  be  exer- 
cised, so  did  the  Son  not  violate  this  peculiarity,  but,  altho  He  was 
the  Son,  He  did  not  take  its  preparation,  enriching,  and  operation 
into  His  own  hand,  but  was  willing  to  receive  them  from  the  hand 
of  the  Holy  Spirit. 

The  fact  that  the  Holy  Spirit  descended  upon  Jesus  at  His  Bap- 
tism, altho  He  had  received  Him  without  measure  at  His  concep- 
tion, can  only  be  explained  by  keeping  in  view  the  difference 
between  iho.  personal  and  official  life  of  Jesus. 


XXI. 
Not  Like  unto  Us. 

"Then  was  Jesus  led  up  of  the  Spirit 
into  the  wilderness." — Matt.  iv.  i. 

The  representation  that  Christ's  human  nature  received  anima- 
ting and  qualifying  influences  and  impulses  directly  from  His  divine 
nature,  altho  on  the  whole  incorrect,  contains  also  some  truth. 

We  often  distinguish  between  our  ego  and  nature.  We  say :  "  I 
have  my  nature  against  me," or  "  My  nature  is  in  my  favor";  hence 
it  follows  that  our  person  animates  and  actuates  our  nature.  Ap- 
plying this  to  the  Person  of  the  Mediator,  we  must  distinguish 
between  His  human  nature  and  His  Person.  The  latter  existed 
from  eternity,  the  former  He  adopted  in  time.  And  since  in  the 
Son  the  divine  Person  and  the  divine  nature  are  nearly  one,  it  must 
be  acknowledged  that  the  Godhead  of  our  Lord  directly  controlled 
His  human  nature.  This  is  the  meaning  of  the  confession  of  God's 
children  that  His  Godhead  supported  His  human  nature. 

But  it  is  wrong  to  suppose  that  the  divine  Person  accomplished 
in  His  human  nature  what  in  us  is  effected  by  the  Holy  Spirit. 
This  would  endanger  His  true  and  real  humanity.  The  Scripture 
positively  denies  it. 

Second — The  work  of  the  Holy  Spirit  in  the  consecration  of 
Jesus  to  His  office  (see  "  First,"  on  p.  93). 

This  ought  to  be  carefully  noticed,  especially  since  the  Church 
has  never  sufficiently  confessed  the  influence  of  the  Holy  Spirit 
exerted  upon  the  work  of  Christ.  The  general  impression  is  that 
the  work  of  the  Holy  Spirit  begins  when  the  work  of  the  Mediator 
on  earth  is  finished,  as  tho  until  that  time  the  Holy  Spirit  cele- 
brated His  divine  day  of  rest.  Yet  the  Scripture  teaches  us  again 
and  again  that  Christ  performed  His  mediatorial  work  controlled 
and  impelled  by  the  Holy  Spirit.  We  consider  this  influence  now 
with  reference  to  His  consecration  to  His  office. 

By  the  spirit  of  the  prophets  already  Christ  testified  of  this  say- 
7 


98  THE   MEDIATOR 

ing  by  the  mouth  of  Isaiah :  "  The  Spirit  of  the  Lord  Jehovah  is 
upon  me,  because  the  Lord  hath  anointed  me  to  preach  good  ti- 
dings unto  the  meek."  But  the  great  fact  which  could  not  be  learned 
from  prophecy  is  that  of  the  descent  of  the  Holy  Spirit  at  Jordan. 
Surely  Isaiah  referred  partly  to  this  event,  but  principally  to  the 
anointing  in  the  counsel  of  peace.  However,  when  Jesus  went  up 
out  of  Jordan,  and  the  Holy  Spirit  descended  upon  Him  like  a  dove, 
and  a  voice  was  heard  from  heaven  saying,  "  This  is  My  beloved 
Son,"  then  only  the  anointing  became  actual. 

In  regard  to  the  event  itself,  only  a  few  words.  That  Christ's 
Baptism  was  not  a  mere  form,  but  the  fulfilling  of  all  righteousness 
proves  that  He  descended  into  the  water  burdened  with  our  sins. 
Hence  St.  John  makes  the  words,  "  Behold  the  Lamb  of  God,"  pre- 
cede the  account  of  His  Baptism.  Wherefore  it  is  incorrect  to  say 
that  Christ  was  installed  into  His  Messianic  office  only  at  His  Bap- 
tism. On  the  contrary.  He  was  anointed  from  eternity.  Where- 
fore He  may  not  be  represented  as  being  for  a  moment  unconscious, 
according  to  the  measure  of  His  development,  of  the  Messiah  task 
that  rested  upon  Him.  This  lay  in  His  holy  Person ;  it  was  not 
added  to  Him  at  a  later  period,  but  was  His  before  Adam  fell. 
And  as  in  His  human  consciousness  His  Person  gradually  attained 
stature,  it  was  always  the  stature  of  the  Messiah.  This  is  evident 
from  His  answer  when,  at  the  age  of  twelve.  He  spoke  of  the  things 
of  His  Father  which  were  to  occupy  Him;  and  still  more  clearly 
from  His  words  to  John  the  Baptist  commandingly  saying:  "  Suffer 
it  to  be  so  now,  for  thus  it  becometh  us  to  fulfil  all  righteousness."" 

And  yet  it  is  only  at  His  Baptism  that  Jesus  receives  the  actual 
consecration  to  His  office.  This  is  proven  from  the  fact  that  imme- 
diately after  this  He  entered  publicly  upon  His  office  as  a  Teacher; 
and  also  from  the  event  itself,  and  the  voice  from  heaven  pointing 
to  Him  as  the  Messiah ;  and  especially  from  the  descent  of  the  Holy 
Spirit,  which  can  not  be  interpreted  in  any  other  way  than  as  His 
consecration  to  His  holy  office. 

What  we  have  said  with  reference  to  the  communication  of  the 
Holy  Spirit  qualifying  one  for  office,  as  in  the  case  of  Saul,  David, 
and  others,  is  of  direct  application  here.  Altho  in  His  human 
nature  Jesus  was  personally  in  constant  fellowship  with  the  Holy 
Spirit,  yet  the  official  communication  was  established  only  at  the 
time  of  His  Baptism.  Yet  with  this  difference,  that  while  in  others 
the  person  and  his  office  are  separated  at  death,  in  the  Messiah  the 


NOT    LIKE    UNTO    US 


99 


two  remain  united  even  in  and  after  death,  to  continue  so  until  the 
moment  that  He  shall  deliver  the  Kingdom  unto  God  the  Father, 
that  God  may  be  all  in  all.  Hence  the  descriptive  remark  of  John : 
"  I  saw  the  Spirit  descending  from  heaven,  and  it  abode  on  Him " 
(John  i.  32). 

And  finally,  to  the  question  why  the  Person  of  the  Mediator 
needed  this  remarkable  event  and  the  three  signs  that  accompany 
it,  we  answer: 

First,  Christ  must  be  a  true  man  even  in  His  office,  wherefore 
He  must  be  installed  according  to  the  human  custom.  He  enters 
upon  His  public  ministry  at  thirty;  He  is  publicly  installed;  and 
He  is  anointed  with  the  Holy  Spirit. 

Second,  for  His  human  consciousness  this  striking  revelation 
from  heaven  was  of  the  utmost  necessity.  The  conflict  of  the 
temptation  was  to  be  absolute,  i.e.,  indescribable  ;  hence  the  impres- 
sion of  His  consecration  must  be  indestructible. 

Third,  for  the  apostles  and  the  Church  it  was  necessary  to  dis- 
tinguish unmistakably  the  true  Messiah  from  all  the  pseudo-mes- 
siahs  and  antichrists.  This  is  the  reason  of  St.  John's  strong 
appeal  to  this  event. 

If  the  work  of  the  Holy  Spirit  with  reference  to  the  consecration 
is  conspicuous  and  clearly  indicated,  the  fact  that  the  official  influ- 
ence of  the  Holy  Spirit  accompanied  the  Mediator  throughout  the 
entire  administration  of  His  office  is  not  less  clearly  set  forth  in  the 
Holy  Scripture.  This  appears  from  the  events  immediately  follow- 
ing the  Baptism.  St.  Luke  relates  that  Jesus  being  full  of  the  Holy 
Spirit,  was  led  by  the  Spirit  into  the  wilderness.  St.  Matthew 
adds:  "  To  be  tempted  of  the  devil."  Of  Elias,  Ezekiel,  and  others 
it  is  said  that  the  Spirit  took  them  up  and  transferred  them  to  some 
other  place.  This  stands  in  evident  connection  with  what  we  read 
here  concerning  Jesus.  With  this  difference,  however,  that  while 
the  propelling  power  came  to  them  from  without,  Jesus,  being  full 
of  the  Holy  Spirit,  felt  its  pressure  in  the  very  depths  of  His  soul. 
And  yet,  altho  operating  in  His  soul,  this  action  of  the  Holy  Spirit 
was  not  identical  with  the  impulses  of  Christ's  human  nature.  Of 
Himself  Jesus  would  not  have  gone  into  the  desert;  His  going 
there  was  the  result  of  the  Holy  Spirit's  leading.  Only  in  this  way 
this  passage  receives  its  full  explanation. 

That  this  leading  of  the  Holy  Spirit  was  not  limited  to  this  one 
act  appears  from  St.  Luke,  who  relates  (chap.  iv.  14)  that  after  the 


lOO  THE   MEDIATOR 

temptation  He  returned  in  the  power  of  the  Holy  Spirit  into  Gali- 
lee, thus  entering  upon  the  public  ministry  of  His  prophetic  office. 

It  is  evidently  the  purpose  of  the  Scripture  to  emphasize  the  fact 
of  the  inability  of  the  human  nature  which  Christ  had  adopted  to 
accomplish  the  work  of  the  Messiah  without  the  constant  opera- 
tion and  powerful  leading  of  the  Holy  Spirit,  whereby  it  was  so 
strengthened  that  it  could  be  the  instrument  of  the  Son  of  God  for 
the  performance  of  His  wonderful  work. 

Jesus  was  conscious  of  this,  and  at  the  beginning  of  His  ministry 
expressly  indicated  it.  In  their  synagogue  He  turned  to  Isa.  Ixi. 
I,  and  read  to  them:  "  The  Spirit  of  the  Lord  is  upon  me,  because 
the  Lord  hath  anointed  me";  then  added:  "  This  day  is  this  Scrip- 
ture fulfilled  in  your  ears." 

The  Holy  Spirit  did  not  support  His  human  nature  in  the  temp- 
tation and  in  the  opening  ministry  only,  but  in  all  His  mighty  deeds, 
as  Christ  Himself  testified :  "  If  I  cast  out  devils  by  the  Spirit  ot 
God,  then  the  Kingdom  of  God  is  come  unto  you"  (Matt.  xii.  28), 
Moreover,  St.  Paul  teaches  that  the  gifts  of  healing  and  miracles 
proceed  from  the  Holy  Spirit,  and  this,  in  connection  with  the  state- 
ment that  these  powers  worked  in  Jesus  (Mark  vi.  14),  convinces  us 
that  these  were  the  very  powers  of  the  Holy  Spirit.  Again,  it  is 
frequently  said  He  rejoiced  in  the  Spirit  or  was  troubled  in  the 
Spirit,  which  may  be  interpreted  as  a  rejoicing  or  being  troubled  in 
His  own  spirit;  but  this  is  not  a  complete  explanation.  When  it 
refers  to  His  own  spirit  it  reads :  "  And  He  sighed  deeply  in  His 
spirit"  (Mark  viii.  12).  But  in  the  other  cases  we  interpret  the  ex- 
pressions as  pointing  to  those  deeper  and  more  glorious  emotions 
of  which  our  human  nature  is  susceptible  only  when  abiding  in  the 
Holy  Spirit.  For  altho  St.  John  states  that  Jesus  groaned  in  Him- 
self (chap.  xi.  38),  this  is  not  contradictory,  especially  with  refer- 
ence to  Jesus.  If  the  Holy  Spirit  always  abode  in  Him,  the  same 
emotion  may  be  attributed  both  to  Him  and  to  the  Holy  Spirit. 

Apart,  however,  from  these  passages  and  their  interpretations, 
we  have  said  enough  to  prove  that  that  part  of  Christ's  work  of 
mediation,  beginning  with  His  Baptism  and  closing  in  the  upper 
chamber,  was  marked  by  the  operation,  influence,  and  support  of 
the  Holy  Spirit. 

According  to  the  divine  counsel,  human  nature  is  adapted  in 
creation  to  the  inworking  of  the  Holy  Spirit,  without  which  it  can 
not  unfold  itself  any  more  than  the  rosebud  without  the  light  and 


NOT    LIKE    UNTO    US  lOi 

influence  of  the  sun.  As  the  ear  can  not  hear  without  sound,  and 
the  eye  can  not  see  without  light,  so  is  our  human  nature  incom- 
plete without  the  light  and  indwelling  of  the  Holy  Spirit.  Where- 
fore, when  the  Son  assumed  human  nature  He  took  it  just  as  it 
is,  i.e.,  incapable  of  any  holy  action  without  the  power  of  the 
Holy  Spirit.  Hence  He  was  conceived  by  the  Holy  Spirit,  that 
from  the  beginning  His  human  nature  should  be  richly  endowed 
with  powers.  The  Holy  Spirit  developed  these  powers;  and  He 
was  consecrated  to  His  office  by  the  communication  to  His  human 
nature  of  the  Messianic  gifts  by  which  He  still  intercedes  for  us  as 
our  High  Priest,  and  rules  us  as  our  King.  And  for  this  reason  He 
was  guided,  impelled,  animated,  and  supported  by  the  Holy  Spirit 
at  every  step  of  His  Messianic  ministry. 

There  are  three  differences  between  this  communication  of  the 
Holy  Spirit  to  the  human  nature  of  Jesus  and  that  in  us : 

First,  the  Holy  Spirit  always  meets  with  the  resistance  of  evil 
in  our  hearts.  Jesus' s  heart  was  without  sin  and  unrighteousness. 
Hence  in  His  human  nature  the  Holy  Spirit  met  no  resistance. 

Secondly,  the  Holy  Spirit's  operation,  influence,  support,  and 
guidance  in  our  human  nature  is  always  individual,  i.e.,  in  part, 
imperfect;  in  the  human  nature  of  Jesus  it  was  central,  perfect, 
leaving  no  void. 

Thirdly,  in  our  nature  the  Holy  Spirit  meets  with  an  ego  which 
in  union  with  that  nature  opposes  God ;  while  the  Person  which  He 
met  in  the  human  nature  of  Christ,  partaking  of  the  divine  nature, 
was  absolutely  holy.  For  the  Son  having  adopted  the  human 
nature  in  union  with  His  Person,  was  cooperating  with  the  Holy 
Spirit. 


XXII. 
The  Holy  Spirit  in  the  Passion  of  Christ. 

•'Who  through  the  Eternal  Spirit 
offered  Himself." — Heb.  ix.  14. 

Thirdly — Let  us  now  trace  the  work  of  the  Holy  Spirit  in  the 
suffering,  death,  resurrection,  atid  exaltation  of  Christ  (see  "  First " 
and  "  Second,"  pp.  93  and  97). 

In  the  Epistle  to  the  Hebrews  the  apostle  asks:  "  If  the  blood  of 
goats  and  calves  and  the  ashes  of  the  heifer  sprinkling  the  unclean, 
sanctifieth  to  the  purification  of  the  flesh,  how  much  more  shall 
the  blood  of  Christ  purge  your  conscience  from  dead  works?"  add- 
ing the  words :  "  Who  through  the  Eternal  Spirit  offered  Himself 
without  spot  to  God."  The  meaning  of  these  words  has  been  much 
disputed.  Beza  and  Gomarus  understood  the  Eternal  Spirit  to 
signify  Christ's  divifie  nature.  Calvin  and  the  majority  of  reformers 
made  it  to  refer  to  the  Holy  Spirit.  Expositors  of  the  present  day, 
especially  those  of  rationalistic  tendencies,  understand  by  it  merely 
the  tension  of  Christ's  human  nature. 

With  the  majority  of  orthodox  expositors  we  adopt  the  view  of 
Calvin.  The  difference  between  Beza  and  Calvin  is  that  already 
referred  to.  The  question  is,  whether  as  regards  His  human  nature 
Christ  substituted  the  inworking  of  the  Son  for  that  of  the  Holy 
Spirit;  or  did  He  have  the  ordinary  operation  of  the  Holy  Spirit? 

At  the  present  time  many  have  adopted  the  former  view  without 
clearly  understanding  the  difference.  They  reason  thus :  "  Are  the 
two  natures  not  united  in  the  Person  of  Jesus?  Why,  then,  should 
the  Holy  Spirit  be  added  to  qualify  the  human  nature?  Could  the 
Son  Himself  not  do  this?"  And  so  they  reach  the  conclusion  that 
since  the  Mediator  is  God,  there  could  be  no  need  of  a  work  of  the 
Holy  Spirit  in  the  human  nature  of  Christ.  And  yet  this  view  must 
be  rejected,  for — 

First,  God  has  so  created  human  nature  that  without  the  Holy 
Spirit  it  can  not  have  any  virtue  or  holiness.     Adam's  original 


HOLY  SPIRIT  IN  THE  PASSION  OF  CHRIST     103 

righteousness  was  the  work  and  fruit  of  the  Holy  Spirit  as  truly  as 
the  new  life  in  the  regenerate  is  to-day.  The  shining-in  of  the 
Holy  Spirit  is  as  essential  to  holiness  as  the  shining  of  light  into 
the  eye  is  essential  to  seeing. 

Second,  the  work  of  the  Son  according  to  the  distinction  of 
three  divine  Persons  is  other  than  the  work  of  the  Holy  Spirit  with 
reference  to  the  human  nature.  The  Holy  Spirit  could  not  become 
flesh;  this  the  Son  alone  could  do.  The  Father  has  not  delivered 
all  things  to  the  Holy  Spirit.  The  Holy  Spirit  works  from  the  Son ; 
but  the  Son  depends  upon  the  Holy  Spirit  for  the  application  of 
redemption  to  individuals.  The  Son  adopts  our  nature,  thus  rela- 
ting Himself  with  the  whole  race ;  but  the  Holy  Spirit  alone  can  so 
enter  into  individual  souls  as  to  glorify  the  Son  in  the  children 
of  God. 

Applying  these  two  principles  to  the  Person  of  Christ,  we  see 
that  His  human  nature  could  not  dispense  with  the  constant  in- 
shining  of  the  Holy  Spirit.  For  which  reason  Scripture  declares: 
"  He  gave  Him  the  Spirit  without  measure."  Nor  could  the  Son  ac- 
cording to  His  own  nature  take  the  place  of  the  Holy  Spirit;  but  in 
the  divine  economy,  by  virtue  of  His  union  with  the  human  nature, 
ever  depended  upon  the  Holy  Spirit. 

As  to  the  question,  whether  the  Godhead  of  Christ  did  not  sup- 
port His  humanity,  we  answer :  Undoubtedly ;  but  never  independ- 
ently of  the  Holy  Spirit.  We  faint  because  we  resist,  grieve,  and 
repel  the  Holy  Spirit.  Christ  was  always  victorious  because  His 
divinity  never  relaxed  His  hold  upon  the  Holy  Spirit  in  His  hu- 
manity, but  embraced  Him  and  clave  unto  Him  with  all  the  love 
and  energy  of  the  Son  of  God. 

Human  nature  is  limited.  It  is  susceptible  of  receiving  the  Holy 
Spirit  so  as  to  be  His  temple.  But  that  susceptibility  has  its  limits. 
Opposed  by  eternal  death,  it  loses  its  tension  and  falls  away  from 
the  fellowship  of  the  Holy  Spirit.  Hence  we  have  no  unlosable 
good  in  ourselves,  but  only  as  members  of  the  body  of  Christ. 
Apart  from  Him,  eternal  death  would  have  power  over  us,  would 
separate  us  from  the  Holy  Spirit  and  destroy  us.  Wherefore  all 
our  salvation  lies  in  Christ.  He  is  our  anchor  cast  within  the  veil. 
As  to  the  human  nature  of  Christ,  it  encountered  and  passed  through 
eternal  death.  This  could  not  be  otherwise.  If  He  had  passed  only 
through  temporal  death,  eternal  death  would  still  be  unvanquished. 

To  the  question  how  His  human  nature  could  pass  through 


104  THE    MEDIATOR 

eternal  death  and  not  perish,  having  no  Mediator  to  support  it,  we 
answer:  The  human  nature  of  Christ  would  have  been  overwhelmed 
by  it,  the  in-shining  of  the  Holy  Spirit  would  have  ceased  if  His 
divine  nature,  i.e.,  the  infinite  might  of  His  Godhead,  had  not  been 
underneath  it.  Hence  the  apostle  declares:  "Who  through  the 
Eternal  Spirit  offered  Himself";  not  through  the  Holy  Spirit.  The 
two  expressions  are  not  identical.  There  is  a  difference  between 
the  Holy  Spirit,  the  third  Person  in  the  Godhead,  apart  from  me, 
and  the  Holy  Spirit  working  within  me. 

The  word  of  Scripture,  "  He  was  full  of  the  Holy  Ghost,"  refers 
not  only  to  the  Person  of  the  Holy  Spirit,  but  also  to  His  work  in 
man's  soul.  So  with  reference  to  Christ,  there  is  a  difference 
between:  "He  was  conceived  by  the  Holy  Ghost,"  "The  Holy 
Ghost  descended  upon  Him,"  "  Being  full  of  the  Holy  Spirit,"  "  Who 
offered  Himself  by  the  Eternal  Spirit."  The  last  two  passages  indi- 
cate the  fact  that  the  spirit  of  Jesus  had  taken  in  the  Holy  Spirit 
and  idetitified  itself  with  Him,  in  almost  the  same  sense  as  Acts  xv. 
28:  "It  seemed  good  to  the  Holy  Ghost  and  to  us."  The  term 
"  Eternal  Spirit "  was  chosen  to  indicate  that  the  divine-human  Per- 
son of  Christ  entered  into  such  indissoluble  fellowship  with  the 
Holy  Spirit  as  even  eternal  death  could  not  break. 

A  closer  examination  of  the  sufferings  of  Christ  will  make  this 
clear. 

Christ  did  not  redeem  us  by  His  sufferings  alone,  being  spit 
upon,  scourged,  crowned  with  thorns,  crucified,  and  slain ;  but  this 
passion  was  made  effectual  to  our  redemption  by  His  lo-oe  and  volun- 
tary obedience.  These  are  generally  called  His  passive  and  active 
satisfaction.  By  the  first  we  understand  His  actual  bearing  of  pain, 
anguish,  and  death ;  by  the  second,  His  zeal  for  the  honor  of  God, 
the  love,  faithfulness,  and  divine  pity  by  which  He  became  obedient 
even  unto  death — yea,  the  death  of  the  cross.  And  these  two  are 
essentially  distinct.  Satan,  e.g.,  bears  punishment  also  and  shall 
bear  it  forever;  but  he  lacks  the  willingness.  This,  however,  does 
not  affect  the  validity  of  the  punishment.  A  murderer  on  the  gal- 
lows may  curse  God  and  men  to  the  end ;  but  this  does  not  invali- 
date his  punishment.  Whether  he  curses  or  prays,  it  is  equally 
valid. 

Hence  there  was  in  Christ's  sufferings  much  more  than  mere 
passive,  penal  satisfaction.  Nobody  compelled  Jesus.  He,  par- 
taker of  the  divine  nature,   could  not  be  compelled,  but  offered 


HOLY  SPIRIT  IN  THE  PASSION  OF  CHRIST     105 

Himself  quite  voluntarily:  "Lo,  I  come  to  do  Thy  will,  O  God;  in 
the  volume  of  the  book  it  is  written  of  Me."  To  render  that  volun- 
tary sacrifice  He  had  with  equal  willingness  adopted  the  prepared 
body :  "  Who  being  in  the  form  of  God  thought  it  no  robbery  to  be 
equal  with  God,  but  made  Himself  of  no  reputation;  and  being 
found  in  fashion  as  a  man,  He  humbled  Himself  and  became  obe- 
dient unto  death,  even  the  death  of  the  cross";  "Who,  tho  He 
were  a  Son,  yet  learned  He  obedience."  And  to  give  highest  proof 
of  this  obedience  unto  death.  He  inwardly  consecrated  Himself  to 
death,  as  He  Himself  testified:  "  I  sanctify  Myself  for  them." 

This  leads  to  the  important  question,  whether  Jesus  rendered 
this  obedience  and  consecration  outside  of  His  human  nature,  or  in 
it,  so  that  it  manifested  itself  in  His  human  nature.  Undoubtedly 
the  latter.  The  divine  nature  can  not  learn,  or  be  tempted;  the 
Son  could  not  love  the  Father  with  other  than  eternal  love.  In  the 
divine  nature  there  is  no  i?iore  or  less.  To  suppose  this  is  to  anni- 
hilate the  divine  nature.  The  statement  that,  "  tho  He  were  the 
Son,  yet  learned  He  obedience,"  does  not  mean  that  as  God  He 
learned  obedience:  for  God  can  not  obey.  God  rules,  governs, 
commands,  but  never  obeys.  As  King  He  can  serve  us  only  in 
the  form  of  a  slave,  hiding  His  princely  majesty,  having  emptied 
Himself,  standing  before  us  as  one  despised  among  men.  "  Tho  He 
were  the  Son  "means,  therefore:  altho  in  His  inward  Being  He  is 
God  the  Son,  yet  He  stood  before  us  in  such  lowliness  that  noth- 
ing betrayed  His  divinity;  yea,  so  lowly  that  He  even  learned 
obedience. 

Wherefore  if  the  Mediator  as  man  showed  in  His  human  nature 
such  zeal  for  God  and  such  pity  for  sinners  that  He  willingly  gave 
Himself  in  self-sacrifice  unto  death,  then  it  is  evident  that  His  human 
nature  could  not  exercise  such  consecration  without  the  inworking 
of  the  Holy  Spirit;  and  again  that  the  Holy  Spirit  could  not  have 
effected  such  inworking  unless  the  Son  willed  and  desired  it.  The 
cry  of  the  Messiah  is  heard  in  the  words  of  the  psalmist :  "  I  delight 
to  do  Thy  will,  O  God."  The  Son  was  willing  so  to  empty  Him- 
self that  it  would  be  possible  for  His  human  nature  to  pass  through 
eternal  death;  and  to  this  end  He  let  it  be  filled  with  all  the  mighti- 
ness of  the  Spirit  of  God.  Thus  the  Son  offered  Himself  "  through 
the  Eternal  Spirit  that  we  might  serve  the  living  God." 

Hence  the  work  of  the  Holy  Spirit  in  the  work  of  redemption 
did  not  begin  only  at  Pentecost,  but  the  same  Holy  Spirit  who  in 


io6  THE    MEDIATOR 

creation  animates  all  life,  upholds  and  qualifies  our  human  nature, 
and  in  Israel  and  the  prophets  wrought  the  work  of  revelation,  also 
prepared  the  body  of  Christ,  adorned  His  human  nature  with 
gracious  gifts,  put  these  gifts  into  operation,  installed  Him  into 
His  office,  led  Him  into  temptation,  qualified  Him  to  cast  out 
devils,  and  finally  enabled  Him  to  finish  that  eternal  work  of  satis- 
faction whereby  our  souls  are  redeemed. 

This  explains  why  Beza  and  Gomarus  could  not  be  fully  satisfied 
with  Calvin's  exposition.  Calvin  said  that  it  was  the  working  of 
the  Holy  Spirit  apart  from  the  divinity  of  the  Son.  And  they  felt 
that  there  was  something  lacking.  For  the  Son  made  Himself  of 
no  reputation  and  became  obedient;  but  if  all  this  is  the  work  of 
the  Holy  Spirit,  then  nothing  is  left  of  the  work  of  the  Son.  And 
to  escape  from  this,  they  adopted  the  other  extreme,  and  declared 
that  the  Eternal  Spirit  had  reference  only  to  the  Son  according  to 
His  divine  nature — an  exposition  that  can  not  be  accepted,  for  the 
divine  nature  is  never  designated  as  spirit. 

Yet  they  were  not  altogether  wrong.  The  reconciliation  of 
these  contrary  views  must  be  looked  for  in  the  diflEerence  between 
the  existence  of  the  Holy  Spirit  without  us,  and  Bis  7V  or  king  within 
us  as  received  by  our  nature  and  identified  with  its  own  working.  And 
inasmuch  as  the  Son,  by  His  Godhead,  enabled  His  human  nature, 
in  the  awful  conflict  with  eternal  death,  to  effect  this  union,  there- 
fore the  apostle  confesses  that  the  sacrifice  of  the  Mediator  was 
rendered  by  the  working  of  the  Eternal  Spirit. 


XXIII. 
The  Holy  Spirit  in  the  Glorified  Christ. 

"  Declared  to  be  the  Sou  of  God  with 
power,  according  to  the  Spirit  of 
holiness,  by  the  resurrection  from 
the  dea.d."—/?om.  i.  4. 

From  the  foregoing  studies  it  appears  that  the  Holy  Spirit  per- 
formed a  work  in  the  human  nature  of  Christ  as  He  descended  the 
several  steps  of  His  humiliation  to  the  death  of  the  cross. 

The  question  now  arises,  whether  He  had  also  a  work  in  the 
several  steps  of  Christ's  exaltation  to  the  excellent  glory.  />.,  in 
His  resurrection,  ascension,  royal  dignity,  and  second  coming. 

Before  we  answer  this  question,  let  us  first  consider  the  nature 
of  this  work  in  the  exaltation.  For  it  is  evident  that  it  must  greatly 
differ  from  that  in  His  humiliation.  In  the  latter  His  human  nature 
suffered  violence.  His  sufferings  antagonized  not  only  His  divine 
nature,  but  also  His  human  nature.  To  suffer  pam,  insult,  and 
mockery,  to  be  scourged  and  crucified,  goes  against  human  nature. 
The  effort  to  resist  such  sufferings  and  to  escape  from  them  is  per- 
fectly natural.  Christ's  groaning  in  Gethsemane  is  the  natural 
utterance  of  the  human  feeling.  He  was  burdened  with  the  curse 
and  wrath  of  God  against  the  sin  of  the  race.  Then  human  nature 
struggled  against  the  burden,  and  the  cry,  "  Father,  let  this  cup 
pass  from  Me,"  was  the  sincere  and  natural  cry  of  horror  which 
human  nature  could  not  repress. 

And  not  in  Gethsemane  alone ;  through  His  whole  humiliation 
He  experienced  the  same,  tho  in  less  degree.  His  self-emptying 
was  not  a  single  loss  or  bereavement,  but  a  growing  poorer  and 
poorer,  until  at  last  nothing  was  left  Him  but  a  piece  of  ground 
where  He  could  weep  and  a  cross  whereon  He  could  die.  He 
renounced  all  that  heart  and  flesh  hold  dear,  until,  without  friend 
or  brother,  without  one  tone  of  love,  amid  the  mocking  laughter 
of  His  slanderers.  He  gave  up  the  ghost.  Surely  He  trod  the  wine- 
press alone. 


io8  THE    MEDIATOR 

His  humiliation  being  so  deep  and  real,  it  is  not  surprising  that 
the  Holy  Spirit  succored  and  comforted  His  human  nature  so  that 
it  was  not  overwhelmed.  P'or  it  is  the  proper  work  of  the  Holy 
Spirit  by  gifts  of  grace  to  enable  human  nature,  tempted  by  sor- 
row to  sin,  to  stand  firm  and  overcome.  He  animated  Adam  before 
the  fall;  He  comforts  and  supports  all  the  children  of  God  to-day; 
and  He  did  the  same  in  the  human  nature  of  Jesus.  What  air  is  to 
man's  physical  nature,  the  Holy  Spirit  is  to  his  spiritual  nature. 
Without  air  there  is  death  in  our  bodies;  without  the  Holy  Spirit 
there  is  death  in  our  souls.  And  as  Jesus  had  to  die,  tho  He  was 
the  Son,  when  breath  failed  Him,  so  He  could  not  live  according  to 
His  human  nature,  tho  He  was  the  Son,  except  the  Holy  Spirit 
dwelt  in  that  nature.  Since,  according  to  the  spiritual  side  of  His 
human  nature,  He  was  not  dead  as  we  are,  but  was  born  possessed 
of  the  life  of  God,  so  it  was  impossible  for  His  human  nature  for  a 
single  moment  to  be  without  the  Holy  Spirit. 

But  how  different  in  the  state  of  His  exaltation !  Honor  and 
glory  are  not  against  human  nature,  but  satisfy  it.  It  covets  them 
and  longs  for  them  with  all  its  energy  of  desire.  Hence  this  exal- 
tation created  no  conflict  in  the  soul  of  Jesus.  His  human  nature 
needed  no  support  to  bear  it.  Hence  the  question:  What,  then, 
could  the  Holy  Spirit  do  for  the  human  nature  in  the  state  of  glory? 

Regarding  the  resurrection,  the  Scripture  teaches  more  than 
once  that  it  was  connected  with  a  work  of  the  Holy  Spirit.  St. 
Paul  says  (Rom.  i.  4)  that  Jesus  was  "  declared  to  be  the  Son  of  God, 
by  the  Spirit  of  holiness  with  power,  by  the  resurrection  from'  the 
dead."  And  St.  Peter  says  (i  Peter  iii.  18)  that  Christ  "  being  put  to 
death  in  the  flesh,  was  quickened  by  the  Spirit,"  which  evidently 
refers  to  the  resurrection,  as  the  context  shows:  "  For  Christ  once 
suffered  for  our  sins,  the  just  for  the  unjust,  that  He  might  bring 
us  to  God."  His  death  points  to  the  crucifixion,  and  His  quicken- 
ing, being  the  opposite  of  the  latter,  undoubtedly  refers  to  His 
resurrection. 

In  Rom.  viii.  11,  speaking  of  our  resurrection,  St.  Paul  explains 
these  more  or  less  puzzling  utterances,  affirming  that  "  if  the  Spirit 
of  Him  that  raised  up  Jesus  from  the  dead  dwell  in  you.  He  that 
raised  up  Christ  from  the  dead  shall  also  quicken  your  mortal 
bodies  by  His  Spirit  that  dwelleth  in  you."  This  passage  tells 
three  things  concerning  our  resurrection: 

First,  that  the  Triune  God  shall  raise  us  up. 


HOLY  SPIRIT  IN  THE  GLORIFIED  CHRIST     109 

Second,  that  this  shall  be  wrought  by  a  special  work  of  the 
Holy  Spirit. 

Third,  that  it  shall  be  effected  by  the  Spirit  that  dwelleth  in  us. 

St.  Paul  induces  us  to  apply  these  three  to  Christ;  for  He  com- 
pares our  resurrection  with  His,  not  only  as  regards  the  fact,  but 
also  as  regards  the  working  whereby  it  was  effected.  Hence  with 
reference  to  the  latter  it  must  be  confessed: 

First,  that  the  Triune  God  raised  Him  from  the  dead.  St.  Peter 
stated  this  clearly  on  the  day  of  Pentecost :  "  Whom  God  has  raised 
up,  having  loosed  the  pains  of  death";  St.  Paul  repeated  it  in 
Ephes.  i.  20,  where  he  speaks  of  "His  mighty  power"  which  He 
wrought  in  Christ,  when  He  raised  Him  from  the  dead. 

Second,  that  God  the  Holy  Spirit  performed  a  peculiar  work  in 
the  resurrection. 

Third,  that  He  wrought  this  work  in  Christ  from  within,  dwell- 
ing in  Him:  "  Which  dwelleth  in  you." 

The  nature  of  this  work  is  apparent  from  the  Holy  Spirit's  part 
in  Adam's  creation  and  in  our  birth.  If  the  Spirit  kindles  and 
brings  forth  all  life,  especially  in  man,  then  it  was  He  who  re- 
kindled the  spark  quenched  by  sin  and  death.  He  did  so  in  Jesus; 
He  will  do  so  in  us. 

The  only  remaining  difficulty  is  on  the  third  point :  "  Which 
dwelleth  in  you."  The  work  of  the  Holy  Spirit  in  our  creation,  and 
therefore  in  that  of  Christ's  human  nature,  came  frofti  without ;  in 
the  resurrection  it  works  from  within.  Of  course  persons  dying 
without  being  temples  of  the  Holy  Spirit  are  excluded.  St.  Paul 
speaks  exclusively  of  men  whose  hearts  are  His  temples.  Hence 
representing  Him  as  dwelling  in  them,  he  speaks  of  Him  as  the 
Sj>irit  of  holiness,  and  Peter  as  the  "  Spirit"  indicating  that  they  do 
not  refer  to  a  work  of  the  Holy  Spirit  in  opposition  to  the  spirit  of 
Jesus,  but  in  which  His  spirit  agreed  and  cooperated.  And  this 
harmonizes  with  Christ's  own  words,  that  in  the  resurrection  He 
would  not  be  passive,  but  active :  "  I  have  power  to  lay  down  life 
and  I  have  power  to  take  it  again.  This  commandment  I  have 
received  of  My  Father."  The  apostles  declare  again  and  again  not 
only  that  Jesus  was  raised  from  the  dead,  but  that  He  has  risen. 
He  had  thus  foretold  it,  and  the  angels  said:  "  Behold,  He  is  risen." 

Hence  we  reach  this  conclusion,  that  the  work  of  the  Holy  Spirit 
in  the  resurrection  was  different  from  that  in  the  humiliation ;  was 
similar  to  that  in  the  creation ;  and  was  performed  from  within  by 


no  THE    MEDIATOR 

the  Spirit  who  dwelt  in  Him  without  measure,  who  continued  with 
Him  through  Bis  death,  and  in  whose  work  His  07vn  spirit  fully 
concurred. 

The  work  of  the  Holy  Spirit  in  the  exaltation  of  Christ  is  not  so 
easily  defined.  The  Scripture  never  speaks  of  it  in  connection  with 
His  ascension,  His  sitting  at  the  right  hand  of  the  Father,  nor  with 
the  Lord's  second  coming.  Its  connection  with  the  descent  at 
Pentecost  will  be  treated  in  its  proper  place.  Light  upon  these 
points  can  be  obtained  only  from  the  scattered  statements  concern- 
ing the  work  of  the  Holy  Spirit  upon  human  nature  in  general. 
According  to  Scripture,  the  Holy  Spirit  belongs  to  our  nature  as  the 
light  to  the  eye ;  not  only  in  its  sinful  condition,  but  also  in  the  sin- 
less state.  From  this  we  infer  that  Adam  before  he  fell  was  not 
without  His  inworking;  hence  that  in  the  heavenly  Jerusalem  our 
human  nature  will  possess  Him  in  richer,  fuller,  more  glorious 
measure.  For  our  sanctified  nature  is  a  habitation  of  God  through 
the  Spirit — Ephes.  ii.  22. 

If,  therefore,  our  blessedness  in  heaven  consists  in  the  enjoy- 
ment of  the  pleasures  of  God,  and  it  is  the  Holy  Spirit  who  comes 
into  contact  with  our  innermost  being,  it  follows  that  in  heaven  He 
can  not  leave  us.  And  upon  this  ground  we  confess,  that  not  only 
the  elect,  but  the  glorified  Christ  also,  who  continues  to  be  a  true 
man  in  heaven,  must  therefore  forever  continue  to  be  filled  with  the 
Holy  Spirit.  This  our  churches  have  always  confessed  in  the  Lit- 
urgy :  "  The  same  Spirit  which  dwelleth  in  Christ  as  the  Head  and 
in  us  as  His  members." 

The  same  Holy  Spirit  who  performed  His  work  in  the  concep- 
tion of  our  Lord,  who  attended  the  unfolding  of  His  human  nature, 
who  brought  into  activity  every  gift  and  power  in  Him,  who  conse- 
crated Him  to  His  ofiice  as  the  Messiah,  who  qualified  Him  for 
every  conflict  and  temptation,  who  enabled  Him  to  cast  out  devils, 
and  who  supported  Him  in  His  humiliation,  passion,  and  bitter 
death,  was  the  same  Spirit  who  performed  His  work  in  His  resur- 
rection, so  that  Jesus  was  justified  in  the  Spirit  (i  Tim.  iii.  16),  and 
who  dwells  now  in  the  glorified  human  nature  of  the  Redeemer  in 
the  heavenly  Jerusalem. 

In  this  connection  it  should  be  noticed  that  Jesus  said  of  His 
body:  "Destroy  this  temple,  and  in  three  days  I  will  raise  it  up." 
The  Temple  was  God's  habitation  on  Zion;  hence  it  was  a  symbol 
of  that  habitation  of  God  that  was  to  be  set  up  in  our  hearts. 


HOLY  SPIRIT  IN  THE  GLORIFIED  CHRIST     iii 

Hence  this  saying  refers  not  to  the  indwelling  of  the  Sou  in  our 
flesh,  but  to  that  of  the  Holy  Spirit  in  the  human  nature  of  Jesus. 
Wherefore  St.  Paul  writes  to  the  Corinthians :  "  Know  ye  not  that 
your  body  is  the  temple  of  the  Holy  Ghost,  which  is  in  you?"  If 
the  apostle  calls  our  bodies  temples  of  the  Holy  Ghost,  why  should 
we  take  it  in  another  sense  with  reference  to  Jesus? 

Tf  Christ  dwelt  in  onr  fesh,  i.e.,  in  our  human  nature,  body  and 
soul,  and  if  the  Holy  Ghost  dwells,  on  the  contrary,  in  the  temple  of 
our  body,  we  see  that  Jesus  Himself  considered  His  death  and  resur- 
rection an  awful  process  of  suffering  through  which  He  must  enter 
into  glory,  but  without  being  for  a  single  moment  separated  from 
the  Holy  Spirit. 


Seventb  Cbapter* 
THE     OUTPOURING    OF    THE    HOLY    SPIRIT. 


XXIV. 
The  Outpouring  of  the  Holy  Spirit. 

"The  Holy  Spirit  was  not  yet  given 
because  that  Jesus  was  not  yet 
glorified."— /^,4«  vii.  39. 

We  have  come  to  the  most  difficult  part  in  the  discussion  of  the 
work  of  the  Holy  Spirit,  viz.,  the  outpouring  of  the  Holy  Spirit  on 
the  tenth  day  after  the  ascension. 

In  the  treatment  of  this  subject  it  is  not  our  aim  to  create  a  new 
interest  in  the  celebration  of  Pentecost.  We  consider  this  almost 
impossible.  Man's  nature  is  too  unspiritual  for  this.  But  we  shall 
reverently  endeavor  to  give  a  clearer  insight  into  this  event  to 
those  in  whose  hearts  the  Holy  Spirit  has  already  begun  His  work. 

For,  however  simple  the  account  of  the  second  chapter  of  the 
Acts  may  seem,  it  is  very  intricate  and  hard  to  explain ;  and  he 
who  earnestly  tries  to  understand  and  explain  the  event  will  meet 
more  and  more  serious  difficulties  as  he  penetrates  more  deeply 
into  the  inward  connection  of  the  Holy  Scripture.  For  this  reason 
we  claim  not  that  our  exposition  will  entirely  solve  this  mystery. 
We  shall  endeavor  only  to  fix  the  sanctified  mind  of  the  people  of 
God  more  earnestly  upon  it,  and  convince  them  that  on  the  whole 
this  subject  is  treated  too  superficially. 

Four  difficulties  meet  us  in  the  examination  of  this  event: 

First,  How  shall  we  explain  the  fact  that  while  the  Holy  Spirit 
was  poured  out  only  on  Pentecost,  the  saints  of  the  Old  Covenant 
were  already  partakers  of  His  gifts? 

Second,  How  shall  we  distinguish  the  outpouring  of  the  Holy 
Spirit  nineteen  centuries  ago  from  His  entering  into  the  soul  of  the 
unconverted  to-day? 


THE  OUTPOURING  OF  THE  HOLY  SPIRIT     113 

Third,  How  could  the  apostles — having  already  confessed  the 
good  confession,  forsaking  all,  following  Jesus,  and  upon  whom  He 
had  Dreathed,  saying,  "  Receive  ye  the  Holy  Ghost  "—receive  the 
Holy  Spirit  only  on  the  tenth  day  after  the  ascension? 

Fourth,  How  are  we  to  explain  the  mysterious  signs  that  accom- 
pany the  outpouring?  There  are  no  angels  praising  God,  but  a 
sound  is  heard  like  that  of  a  rushing,  mighty  wind ,  the  glory  of  the 
Lord  does  not  appear,  but  tongues  of  fire  hover  over  their  heads, 
there  is  no  theophany,  but  a  speaking  in  peculiar  and  uncommon 
sounds,  understood,  however,  by  those  present. 

With  reference  to  the  ^rsf  difficulty  :  How  to  explain  the  fact  that, 
while  the  Holy  Spirit  was  poured  out  only  on  Pentecost,  the  saints 
of  the  Old  Covenant  were  already  partakers  of  His  gifts.  Let  us 
put  this  in  the  concrete:  How  are  the  following  passages  to  be 
reconciled?—"  I  am  with  you,  saith  the  Lord  of  Hosts,  and  My  Spirit 
remaineth  among  you,  fear  ye  not"  (Hag.  ii.  4,  5) ;  and  "  This  spake 
He  of  the  Holy  Spirit  which  they  that  believe  should  receive ,  for 
the  Holy  Spirit  was  not  yet  given,  because  that  Jesus  was  not  yet 
glorified"  (John  vii.  39). 

Scripture  evidently  seeks  to  impress  us  with  the  two  facts,  that 
the  Holy  Spirit  came  only  on  the  day  of  Pentecost,  and  that  the 
same  Spirit  had  wrought  already  for  centuries  in  the  Church  of 
the  Old  Covenant.  Not  only  does  St.  John  declare  definitely  that  the 
Holy  Spirit  was  not  yet  given,  but  the  predictions  of  the  prophets 
and  of  Jesus  and  the  whole  attitude  of  the  apostles  show  that  this 
fact  may  not  in  the  least  be  weakened. 

Let  us  first  examine  the  prophecies.  Isaiah,  Ezekiel,  and  Joel 
bear  undeniable  witness  to  the  fact  that  this  was  the  expectation  of 
the  prophets. 

Isaiah  says :  "  The  palaces  shall  be  forsaken,  the  multitudes  of 

the  city  shall  be  left — until  the  Spirit  shall  be  poured  upon  us  from  on 

high  ;  then  the  wilderness  shall  be  a  fruitful  field,  and  the  fruitful 

field  shall  be  counted  for  a  forest;  then  judgment  shall  dwell  in  the 

wilderness,  and  righteousness  remain  in  the  fruitful  field."    This 

prophecy   evidently  refers  to   an   outpouring  of   the   Holy   Spirit 

that  shall  effect  a  work  of  salvation  on  a  large  scale,  for  it  closes 

with  the  promise :  "  And  the  work  of  righteousness  shall  be  peace, 

and  the  effect  of  righteousness,  quietness,  and  assurance  forever" 

(Isa.  xxxii.  14-17). 

In  like  manner  did  Ezekiel  prophesy :  "  Then  will  I  sprinkle 
8 


114     THE  OUTPOURING  OF  THE  HOLY  SPIRIT 

clean  water  upon  you,  and  ye  shall  be  clean;  a  new  heart  also  will 
I  give  you,  and  a  new  spirit  will  I  put  within  you ;  and  I  will  put  My 
Spirit  within  you,  and  cause  you  to  walk  in  My  statutes ;  and  ye 
shall  keep  My  judgments,  and  do  them ,-  and  I  will  save  you  from  all 
your  uncleanness.  Not  for  yourselves  will  I  do  this,  saith  the  Lord, 
be  it  known  unto  you"  (chap,  xxxvi.  25).  Ezek.  xi.  19  gives  the 
prelude  of  this  prophecy :  "  Thus  saith  the  Lord  God,  I  will  give 
them  one  heart,  and  I  will  give  a  new  Spirit  within  them ;  and  I  will 
take  the  stony  heart  out  of  their  flesh,  that  they  may  walk  in  My 
statutes." 

Joel  uttered  his  well-known  prophecy :  "  And  it  shall  come  to 
pass  afterward  that  I  will  pour  My  Spirit  upon  all  flesh,  and  your 
sons  and  your  daughters  shall  prophesy,  your  old  men  shall  dream 
dreams,  your  young  men  shall  see  visions ;  and  also  upon  thy  serv- 
ants and  upon  thy  handmaidens  in  those  days  will  I  pour  out  My 
Spirit"  (Joel  ii.  30,  31) ; — a  prophecy  which,  according  to  the  author- 
itative exposition  of  St.  Peter,  refers  directly  to  the  day  of  Pentecost. 

Zechariah  adds  a  beautiful  prophecy  (xii.  10) :  "  I  will  pour  out 
the  Spirit  of  grace  and  of  supplication." 

It  is  true  that  these  prophecies  were  given  to  Israel  during  its 
later  period,  when  the  vigorous  spiritual  life  of  the  nation  had 
already  departed.  But  Moses  expressed  the  same  thought  in  his 
prophetic  prayer:  "Would  God  that  all  the  Lord's  people  were 
prophets,  and  that  the  Lord  would  put  His  Spirit  upon  them  "  (Num. 
xi.  29).  But  these  prophecies  are  evidence  of  the  Old  Testament 
prophetic  conviction  that  the  dispensation  of  the  Holy  Spirit -in 
those  days  was  exceedingly  imperfect;  that  the  real  dispensation 
of  the  Holy  Spirit  was  still  tarrying;  and  that  only  in  the  days  of 
the  Messiah  was  it  to  come  in  all  its  fulness  and  glory. 

Regarding  the  second  difficulty,  our  Lord  repeatedly  put  the  stamp 
of  His  divine  authority  upon  this  prophetic  conviction,  announcing 
to  His  disciples  the  still  future  coming  of  the  Holy  Spirit :  "  I  will 
pray  the  Father  and  He  shall  give  you  another  Comforter,  that  He 
may  abide  with  you  forever;  even  the  Spirit  of  truth,  whom  the 
world  can  not  receive,  because  it  seeth  Him  not,  neither  knowetb 
Him,  for  He  dwelleth  with  you  and  shall  be  in  you"  (John  xiv.  16, 
17);  "When  the  Comforter  is  come  whom  I  will  send  from  the 
Father,  even  the  Spirit  of  truth,  which  proceedeth  from  the  Father, 
He  shall  testify  of  Me  "  (John  xv.  26) ;  "  Behold,  I  send  the  promise 
of  the  Father  upon  you,  and  ye  shall  be  endued  with  power  from 


THE  OUTPOURING  OF  THE  HOLY  SPIRIT     115 

on  high  "  (Luke  xxiv.  49) ;  "  It  is  expedient  for  you  that  I  go  away ; 
for  if  I  go  not  away  the  Comforter  will  not  come  unto  you;  but  if  I 
depart,  I  will  send  Him  unto  you.  And  when  He  is  come,  He  will 
reprove  the  world  of  sin,  of  righteousness,  and  of  judgment "  (John 
xvi.  7,  8).  And  lastly:  He  commanded  them  not  to  depart  from 
Jerusalem,  but  to  wait  for  the  promise  of  the  Father,  "  which,  saith 
He,  ye  have  heard  of  Me ;  for  John  truly  baptized  with  water,  but 
ye  shall  be  baptized  with  the  Holy  Ghost  not  many  days  hence. 
And  ye  shall  receive  power  after  that  the  Holy  Ghost  is  come  upon 
you"  (Acts  i.  4,  5,  8). 

The  third  difficulty  is  met  by  the  fact  that  the  communications 
of  the  apostles  agree  with  the  teaching  of  Scripture.  They  actually 
tarried  in  Jerusalem,  without  even  attempting  to  preach  during  the 
days  between  the  ascension  and  Pentecost.  And  they  explain  the 
Pentecost  miracle  as  the  fulfilment  of  the  prophecies  of  Joel  and 
Jesus.  They  see  in  it  something  new  and  extraordinary;  and  show 
us  clearly  that  in  their  day  it  was  considered  that  a  man  who  stood 
outside  the  Pentecost  miracle  knew  nothing  of  the  Holy  Ghost. 
For  the  disciples  of  Ephesus  being  asked,  "  Have  ye  received  the 
Holy  Ghost?"  answered  naively:  "We  have  not  so  much  as  heard 
whether  there  be  any  Holy  Ghost." 

Wherefore  it  can  not  be  doubted  that  the  Holy  Scripture  means 
to  teach  and  convince  us  that  the  outpouring  of  the  Holy  Spirit  on 
Pentecost  was  His  first  and  real  coming  into  the  Church. 

But  how  can  this  be  reconciled  with  Old  Testament  passages 
such  as  these? — "  Yet  now  be  strong,  O  Zerubbabel,  saith  the  Lord; 
and  be  strong,  O  Joshua,  the  High  Priest;  .  .  .  for  I  am  with  you, 
.  .  .  and  My  Spirit  remaineth  among  you  :  fear  ye  not"  (Hag.  ii.  4,  5); 
and  again :  "  Then  He  remembered  the  days  of  old,  Moses,  and  His 
people,  saying.  Where  is  He  that  brought  them  up  out  of  the  sea 
with  the  Shepherd  of  His  flock?  where  is  He  that  put  His  Holy 
Spirit  within  them?"  (Isa.  Ixiii.  1 1).  David  is  conscious  that  he  had 
received  the  Holy  Spirit,  for  after  his  fall  he  prays:  "  Take  not  Thy 
Holy  Spirit  from  me"  (Psalm  li.  13).  There  was  a  sending  forth  of 
the  Spirit,  for  we  read :  "  Thou  sendest  forth  Thy  Spirit,  and  they 
are  created ;  and  Thou  renewest  the  face  of  the  earth  "  (Psalm  civ.  30), 
There  seems  to  have  been  an  actual  descending  of  the  Holy  Spirit, 
for  Ezekiel  says :  "  The  Spirit  of  the  Lord  fell  upon  me  "  (chap.  xi. 
5).  Micah  testified :  "  Truly  I  am  full  of  the  power  by  the  Spirit  of 
the  Lord"  (chap.  iii.  8).     Of  John  the  Baptist  it  is  written,  that  he 


ii6     THE  OUTPOURING  OF  THE  HOLY  SPIRIT 

should  be  filled  with  the  Holy  Ghost  from  his  mother's  womb — Luke 
i.  15.  Even  the  Lord  Himself  was  filled  with  the  Holy  Spirit, 
whom  He  received  without  measure.  That  Spirit  came  upon  Him 
at  Jordan,  how  then  could  He  be  spoken  of  as  still  to  come? — a 
question  all  the  more  puzzling  since  we  read  that  in  the  evening 
of  the  resurrection  Jesus  breathed  upon  His  disciples,  saying: 
"Receive  ye  the  Holy  Ghost"  (John  xx.  22). 

It  has  been  necessary  to  present  this  large  series  of  testimonies 
to  show  our  readers  the  difficulty  of  the  problem  which  we  will 
endeavor  to  solve  in  the  next  article. 


XXV. 

The  Holy  Spirit  in  the  New  Testament  Other  than  in 

the  Old. 

"  By  His  Spirit  which  dwelleth  in 
you." — Horn.  viii.  ii. 

In  order  to  understand  the  change  inaugurated  on  Pentecost  we 
must  distinguish  between  the  various  ways  in  which  the  Holy  Ghost 
enters  into  relationship  with  the  creature. 

With  the  Christian  Church  we  confess  that  the  Holy  Spirit  is 
true  and  eternal  God,  and  therefore  omnipresent;  hence  no  crea- 
ture, stone  or  animal,  man  or  angel,  is  excluded  from  His  presence. 

With  reference  to  His  omniscience  and  omnipresence,  David 
sings :  "  Whither  shall  I  go  from  Thy  Spirit,  or  whither  shall  I  flee 
from  Thy  presence?  If  I  ascend  up  to  heaven,  Thou  art  there ;  if  I 
make  my  bed  in  hell,  behold,  Thou  art  there.  If  I  take  the  wings 
of  the  morning  and  dwell  in  the  uttermost  parts  of  the  sea,  even 
there  shall  Thy  hand  lead  me  and  Thy  right  hand  shall  hold  me." 
These  words  state  positively  that  omnipresence  belongs  to  the  Holy 
Spirit ;  that  neither  in  heaven  nor  in  hell,  in  the  east  nor  in  the 
west,  is  there  a  spot  or  point  from  which  He  is  excluded. 

This  simple  consideration  is,  for  the  matter  under  discussion,  of 
the  greatest  importance;  for  it  follows  that  the  Holy  Spirit  can  not 
be  said  ever  to  have  moved  from  one  place  to  another;  to  have 
been  among  Israel,  but  not  among  the  nations ;  to  have  been  pres- 
ent after  the  day  of  Pentecost  where  He  was  not  before.  All  such 
representations  directly  oppose  the  confession  of  His  omnipresence, 
eternity,  and  immutability.  The  Omnipresent  One  can  not  go  trom 
one  place  to  another,  for  He  can  not  come  where  He  is  already. 
And  to  suppose  that  He  is  omnipresent  at  one  time  and  not  at 
another  is  inconsistent  with  His  eternal  Godhead.  The  testimony 
of  John  the  Baptist.  "  I  saw  the  Spirit  descending  from  heaven  like 
a  dove,  audit  abode  on  Him."  and  that  of  St.  Luke.  "The  Holy 
Spirit  fell  on  all  them  which  heard  the  Word,"  may  not  therefore 


Ii8     THE  OUTPOURING  OF  THE  HOLY  SPIRIT 

be  understood  as  tho  the  Holy  Spirit  came  to  a  place  where  He  was 
not  before,  which  is  impossible. 

However — and  this  is  the  first  distinction  which  will  throw  light 
upon  the  matter — David's  description  of  omnipresence  applies  to 
local  presence  in  space,  but  not  to  the  world  of  spirits. 

We  know  not  what  spirits  are,  nor  what  our  own  spirit  is.  In 
the  body  we  can  distinguish  between  nerves  and  blood,  bones  and 
muscles,  and  we  know  something  of  their  functions  in  the  organism ; 
but  how  a  spirit  exists,  moves,  and  works,  we  can  not  tell.  We 
only  know  that  it  exists,  moves,  and  works  in  an  entirely  different 
way  from  that  of  the  body.  When  a  brother  dies  nobody  opens  a 
door  or  window  for  the  exit  of  the  soul ;  for  we  know  that  neither 
wall  nor  ceiling  can  hinder  it  in  its  heavenward  flight.  In  prayer 
we  whisper  so  as  not  to  be  overheard ;  yet  we  believe  that  the  man 
Jesus  Christ  hears  every  word.  The  swiftness  of  a  thought  exceeds 
that  of  electricity.  In  a  word,  the  limitations  of  the  material  world 
seem  to  disappear  in  the  realm  of  spirits. 

Even  the  working  of  spirit  on  matter  is  wonderful.  The  average 
weight  of  an  adult  is  about  one  hundred  and  sixty  pounds.  It  takes 
three  or  four  men  to  carry  a  dead  body  of  that  weight  to  the  top  of 
a  high  building;  yet  when  the  man  was  alive  his  spirit  had  the 
power  to  carry  this  weight  up  and  down  those  flights  of  stairs  easily 
and  quickly.  But  where  the  spirit  takes  hold  of  the  body,  how  it 
moves  it,  and  where  it  obtains  that  swiftness,  is  for  us  a  perfect 
mystery.  Yet  this  shows  that  spirit  is  subject  to  laws  wholly 
different  from  those  that  govern  matter. 

We  emphasize  the  word  law.  According  to  the  analogy  of  faith, 
there  must  be  laws  that  govern  the  spiritual  world  as  there  are  in 
the  natural;  yet  owing  to  our  limitations  we  can  not  know  them. 
But  in  heaven  we  shall  know  them,  and  all  the  glories  and  particu- 
lars of  the  spiritual  world,  as  our  physicians  know  the  nerves  and 
tissues  of  the  body. 

This  we  know,  however,  that  that  which  applies  to  matter  does 
not  therefore  apply  to  spirit.  God's  omnipresence  has  reference 
to  all  space,  but  not  to  every  spirit.  Since  God  is  omnipresent,  it 
does  not  follow  that  He  also  dwells  in  the  spirit  of  Satan.  Hence 
it  is  clear  that  the  Holy  Spirit  can  be  omnipresent  without  dwelling 
in  every  human  soul;  and  that  He  can  descend  without  changing 
place,  and  yet  enter  a  soul  hitherto  unoccupied  by  Him;  and  that 
He  was  present  among  Israel  and  among  the  Gentiles,   and  yet 


HOLY  SPIRIT  IN  OLD  AND  NEW  TESTAMENTS  119 

manifested  Himself  among  the  former  and  not  among  the  latter. 
From  this  it  follows  that  in  the  spiritual  world  He  can  come  where 
He  was  not;  that  He  came  among  Israel,  not  having  been  among 
them  before ,  and  that  then  He  manifested  Himself  among  them 
less  powerfully  and  in  another  way  than  on  and  before  the  day  of 
Pentecost. 

The  Holy  Spirit  seems  to  act  upon  a  human  being  in  a  twofold 
manner — from  without,  or  from  within.  The  difference  is  similar  to 
that  in  the  treatment  of  the  human  body  by  the  physician  and  the 
surgeon :  the  former  acts  upon  it  by  medicines  taken  inwardly ;  the 
latter  by  incisions  and  outward  applications.  A  very  defective 
comparison,  indeed,  but  it  may  illustrate  faintly  the  twofold  opera- 
tion of  the  Holy  Spirit  upon  the  souls  of  men. 

In  the  beginning  we  discover  only  an  outward  imparting  of  cer- 
tain gifts.  On  Samson  He  bestows  great  physical  strength.  Aho- 
liab  and  Bezaleel  are  endowed  with  artistic  talent  to  build  the 
tabernacle.  Joshua  is  enriched  with  military  genius.  These 
operations  did  not  touch  the  center  of  the  soul,  and  were  not 
saving,  but  merely  external.  They  become  more  enduring  when 
they  assume  an  official  character  as  in  Saul ;  altho  in  him  we  find  the 
best  evidence  of  the  fact  that  they  are  only  outward  and  temporal. 
They  assume  a  higher  character  when  they  receive  the  prophetic 
stamp;  altho  Balaam's  example  shows  us  that  even  thus  they  pene- 
trate not  to  the  center  of  the  soul,  but  affect  man  only  outwardly. 

But  in  the  Old  Testament  there  was  also  an  inward  operation  in 
believers.  Believing  Israelites  were  saved.  Hence  they  must  have 
received  saving  grace.  And  since  saving  grace  is  out  of  the  ques- 
tion without  an  inward  working  of  the  Holy  Spirit,  it  follows  that 
He  was  the  Worker  of  faith  in  Abraham  as  well  as  in  ourselves. 

The  difference  between  the  two  operations  is  apparent.  A  per- 
son outwardly  wrought  upon  may  become  enriched  with  outward 
gifts,  while  spiritually  he  remains  as  poor  as  ever.  Or,  having 
received  the  inward  gift  of  regeneration,  he  may  be  devoid  of  every 
talent  that  adorns  man  outwardly. 

Hence  we  have  these  three  aspects : 

First,  there  is  the  omnipresence  of  the  Holy  Spirit  in  space,  the 
same  in  heaven  and  in  hell,  among  Israel  and  among  the  nations. 

Second,  there  is  a  spiritual  operation  of  the  Holy  Spirit  accord- 
ing to  choice,  which  is  not  omnipresent ;  active  in  heaven,  but  not 
in  hell ;  among  Israel,  but  not  among  the  nations. 


I20     THE  OUTPOURING  OF  THE  HOLY  SPIRIT 

Third,  this  spiritual  operation  works  either  from  without,  im- 
parting losable  gifts,  or  from  within,  imparting  the  unlosable  gift 
of  salvation. 

We  have  spoken  so  far  of  the  work  of  the  Holy  Spirit  upon  indi- 
vidual persons,  which  was  sufficient  to  explain  that  work  in  the 
days  of  the  Old  Testament.  But  when  we  come  to  the  day  of  Pen- 
tecost, this  no  longer  suffices.  For  His  particular  operation,  on 
and  after  that  day,  consists  in  the  extending  of  His  operation  to  a 
company  of  men  organically  united. 

God  did  not  create  humanity  as  a  string  of  isolated  souls,  but  as 
a  race.  Hence  in  Adam  the  souls  of  all  men  are  fallen  and  defiled. 
In  like  manner  the  new  creation  in  the  realm  of  grace  has  not 
wrought  the  generation  of  isolated  individuals,  but  the  resurrection 
of  a  new  race,  a  peculiar  people,  a  holy  priesthood.  And  this  favored 
race,  this  peculiar  people,  this  holy  priesthood  is  also  organically 
one  and  partaking  of  the  same  spiritual  blessing. 

The  Word  of  God  expresses  this  by  teaching  that  the  elect  con- 
stitute one  body,  of  which  all  are  members,  one  being  a  foot,  another 
an  eye,  and  another  an  ear,  etc. — a  representation  that  conveys  the 
idea  that  the  elect  mutually  sustain  the  relation  of  a  vital,  organic, 
and  spiritual  union.  And  this  is  not  merely  outwardly,  by  mutual 
love,  but  much  more  through  a  vital  communion  which  is  theirs  by 
virtue  of  their  spiritual  origin.  As  our  Liturgy  beautifully  ex- 
presses it :  "  For  as  out  of  many  grains  one  meal  is  ground  and  one 
bread  baked,  and  out  of  many  berries,  being  pressed  together,  one 
wine  floweth  and  mixeth  itself  together,  so  shall  we  all,  who  by  a 
true  faith  are  ingrafted  into  Christ,  be  altogether  one  body." 

This  spiritual  union  of  the  elect  did  not  exist  among  Israel,  nor 
could  it  exist  during  their  time.  There  was  a  union  of  love,  but 
not  a  spiritual  and  vital  fellowship  that  sprang  from  the  root  of  life. 
This  spiritual  union  of  the  elect  was  made  possible  only  by  the 
incarnation  of  the  Son  of  God.  The  elect  are  men  consisting  of 
body  and  soul ;  therefore  it  is  partly  at  least  a  visible  body.  And 
only  when  in  Christ  the  perfect  man  was  given,  who  could  be  the 
temple  of  the  Holy  Spirit  body  and  soul,  did  the  inflowing  and  out- 
pouring of  the  Holy  Spirit  become  established  in  and  through  the 
body  thus  created. 

However,  this  did  not  occur  directly  after  the  birth  of  Christ, 
but  after  His  ascension ;  for  His  human  nature  did  not  unfold  its 
fullest  perfection  until  after  He  had  ascended,  when,  as  the  glori- 


HOLY  SPIRIT  IN  OLD  AND  NEW  TESTAMENTS  121 

fied  Son  of  God,  He  sat  down  at  the  right  hand   of  the  Father. 
Only  then  the  perfect  Man  was  given,  who  on  the  one  hand  could 
be  the  temple  of  the  Holy  Ghost  without  hindrance,  and  on  the 
other  unite  the  spirits  of  the  elect  into  one  body.     And  when,  by 
His  ascension  and  sitting  down  at  the  right  hand  of  God.  this  had 
become  a  fact,  when  thus  the  elect  had  become  one  body,  it  was     j  / 
perfectly  natural  that  from  the  Head  the  indwelling  of  the  Holy     7 
Spirit  was  imparted  to  the  whole  body.     And  thus  the  Holy  Spirit     * 
was  poured  out  into  the  body  of  the  Lord,  His  elect,  the  Church. 

In  this  way  everything  becomes  plain  and  clear :  clear  why  the 
saints  of  the  Old  Testament  did  not  receive  the  promise,  that  with- 
out us  they  should  not  be  made  perfect,  waiting  for  that  perfection 
until  the  formation  of  the  body  of  Christ,  into  which  they  also  were 
to  be  incorporated ;  clear  that  the  tarrying  of  the  outpouring  of  the 
Holy  Spirit  did  not  prevent  saving  grace  from  operating  upon  the 
individual  souls  of  the  saints  of  the  Old  Covenant;  clear  the  word 
of  John,  that  the  Holy  Spirit  was  not  yet  given  because  Jesus  was 
not  yet  glorified;  clear  that  the  apostles  were  born  again  long 
before  Pentecost  and  received  official  gifts  on  the  evening  of  the 
day  of  the  resurrection,  altho  the  outpouring  of  the  Holy  Spirit  in 
the  body  thus  formed  did  not  take  place  until  Pentecost.  It  becomes 
clear  how  Jesus  could  say,  "  If  I  go  not  away  the  Comforter  will  not 
come  unto  you,"  and  again,  "  But  if  I  go  I  will  send  Him  unto  you"; 
for  the  Holy  Spirit  was  to  flow  into  His  body  from  Himself,  who  is 
the  Head.  It  becomes  clear  also  that  He  would  not  send  Him  from 
Himself,  but  from  the  Father;  clear  why  this  outpouring  of  the 
Spirit  into  the  body  of  Christ  is  never  repeated,  and  could  occur 
but  once ;  and  lastly,  clear  that  the  Holy  Spirit  was  indeed  stand- 
ing in  the  midsi  of  Israel  (Isa.  Ixiii.  12),  working  upon  the  saints 
from  without,  while  in  the  New  Testament  He  is  said  to  be  wit/iin 
them. 

We  arrive,  therefore,  at  the  following  conclusions: 

First,  the  elect  must  constitute  one  body. 

Second,  they  were  not  so  constituted  during  the  days  of  the 
Old  Covenant,  of  John  the  Baptist,  and  of  Christ  while  on  earth. 

Third,  this  body  did  not  exist  until  Christ  ascended  to  heaven 
and,  sitting  at  the  right  hand  of  God,  bestowed  upon  this  body  its 
unity,  in  that  God  gave  Him  to  be  Head  over  all  things  to  the 
Church — Ephes.  iv.  12. 

Lastly,  Christ  as  the  glorified  Head,  having  formed  His  spiritual 


122     THE  OUTPOURING  OF  THE  HOLY  SPIRIT 

body  by  the  vital  union  of  the  elect,  on  the  day  of  Pentecost  poured 
out  His  Holy  Spirit  into  the  whole  body,  never  more  to  let  Him  depart 
from  it. 

That  these  conclusions  contain  nothing  but  what  the  Church  of 
all  ages  has  confessed  appears  from  the  fact  that  the  Reformed 
churches  have  always  maintained : 

First,  that  our  communion  with  the  Holy  Spirit  depends  upon 
our  mystic  union  with  the  body  of  which  Christ  is  the  Head,  which 
is  the  underlying  thought  of  the  Lord's  Supper. 

Second,  that  the  elect  form  one  body  under  Christ  their  Head. 

Third,  that  this  body  began  to  exist  when  it  received  its  Head; 
and  that,  according  to  Ephes.  i.  22,  Christ  was  given  to  be  the  Head 
after  His  resurrection  and  ascension. 


XXVI. 
Israel  and  the  Nations. 

"Because  that  on  the  Gentiles  also 
was  poured  out  the  gift  of  the 
Holy  Ghost."— Acis  x.  45. 

The  question  that  arises  with  reference  to  Pentecost  is :  Since 
the  Holy  Spirit  imparted  saving  grace  to  men  before  and  after 
Pentecost,  what  is  the  difference  caused  by  that  descent  of  the 
Holy  Spirit? 

An  illustration  may  explain  the  difference.  The  rain  descends 
from  heaven  and  man  gathers  it  to  quench  his  thirst.  When  house- 
holders collect  it  each  in  his  own  cistern,  it  comes  down  for  every 
family  separately ;  but  when,  as  in  modern  city  life,  every  house  is 
supplied  from  the  city  reservoir,  by  means  of  mains  and  water-pipes, 
there  is  no  more  need  of  pumps  and  private  cisterns.  Suppose  that 
a  city  whose  citizens  for  ages  have  been  drinking  each  from  his 
own  cistern  proposes  to  construct  a  reservoir  that  will  supply 
every  home.  When  the  work  is  completed  the  water  is  allowed  to 
run  through  the  system  of  mains  and  pipes  into  every  house.  It 
might  then  be  said  that  on  that  day  the  water  was  poured  out  into 
the  city.  Hitherto  it  fell  upon  every  man's  roof;  now  it  streams 
through  the  organized  system  into  every  man's  house. 

Apply  this  to  the  pouring  out  of  the  Holy  Spirit,  and  the  differ- 
ence before  and  after  Pentecost  will  be  apparent.  The  mild  show- 
ers of  the  Holy  Spirit  descended  upon  Israel  of  old  in  drops  of  saving 
grace ;  but  in  such  a  manner  only  that  each  gathered  of  the  heavenly 
rain /of  himself,  to  quench  the  thirst  of  each  heart  separately.  So  it 
continued  until  the  coming  of  Christ.  Then  there  came  a  change; 
for  He  gathered  the  full  stream  of  the  Holy  Spirit  for  us  all,  in  His 
<nvn  Person.  With  Him  all  saints  are  connected  by  the  channels  of 
faith.  And  when,  after  His  ascension,  this  Connection  with  His 
saints  was  completed,  and  He  had  received  the  Holy  Spirit  from 
His  Father,  then  the  last  obstacle  was  removed  and  the  full  stream 


124     THE  OUTPOURING  OF  THE  HOLY  SPIRIT 

of  the  Holy  Spirit  came  rushing  through  the  connecting  channels 
into  the  heart  of  every  believer. 

Formerly  isolation,  every  man  for  himself;  now  organic  union 
of  all  the  members  under  their  one  Head:  this  is  the  difference 
between  the  days  before  and  after  Pentecost.  The  essential  fact  of 
Pentecost  consisted  in  this,  that  on  that  day  the  Holy  Spirit  entered 
for  the  first  time  into  the  organic  body  of  the  Church,  and  individ- 
uals came  to  drink,  not  each  by  himself,  but  all  together  in  organic 
union. 

To  the  question  where  that  system  of  connecting  channels  uni- 
ting us  in  one  body  under  our  Head  may  be  found,  we  can  give 
no  answer.  This  belongs  to  things  invisible  and  spiritual  which 
escape  our  observation,  of  which  we  can  have  no  other  representa- 
tion than  that  by  an  image. 

Yet  this  does  not  alter  the  fact  that  the  organic  union  really 
exists.  The  Word  of  God  is  to  us  its  undeniable  witness.  Organic 
life  appears  in  nature  in  two  forms :  in  the  plant,  and  in  the  body 
of  man  and  animal.  These  are  the  very  types  that  Christ  uses  to 
illustrate  the  spiritual  union  between  Himself  and  His  people.  He 
said:  "I  am  the  Vine,  ye  are  the  branches."  And  St.  Paul  speaks 
of  having  become  one  plant  with  Christ.  And  he  frequently  uses 
the  image  of  the  body  and  its  members. 

Hence  there  can  be  no  doubt  that  there  exists  a  mystic  union 
between  Christ  and  believers  which  works  by  means  of  an  organic 
connection,  uniting  the  Head  and  the  members  in  a  for  us  invisible 
and  incomprehensible  manner.  By  means  of  this  organic  -union 
the  Holy  Spirit  was  poured  out  on  Pentecost  from  Christ  the  Head 
into  us,  the  members  of  His  body. 

If  it  were  possible  to  construct  the  city's  water-works  in  the  air 
above  the  city,  the  chief  engineer  could  properly  say :  "  When  I  turn 
on  the  water  for  the  first  time  I  will  baptize  the  city  with  water.  " 
In  similar  sense  Christ  may  be  said  to  have  baptized  His  Church 
with  the  Holy  Spirit.  For  the  word  of  John  the  Baptist,  "  I  indeed 
baptize  you  with  water,  but  He  that  cometh  after  me  is  mightier 
than  I;  He  shall  baptize  you  with  the  Holy  Ghost,"  is  explained  by 
Christ  Himself  as  referring  to  the  day  of  Pentecost  (Acts  i.  5) : 
"  And  being  assembled  together  with  Him,  He  commanded  them 
that  they  should  not  depart  from  Jerusalem,  but  wait  for  the 
promise  of  the  Father,  which,  saith  He,  ye  have  heard  of  Me.  For 
John  truly  baptized  with  water,  but  ye  shall  be  baptized  with  thj 


ISRAEL   AND    THE    NATIONS  125 

Holy  Ghost  not  many  days  hence"'; — a  promise  that  undoubtedly 
referred  to  the  Pentecost  miracle.  This  agrees  with  the  fact  that 
Jesus  during  His  ministry  allowed  His  disciples  to  continue  the 
Baptism  of  John.  And  this  shows  that  even  before  the  crucifixion, 
John  and  Peter,  Philip  and  Zaccheus,  and  many  others  received 
saving  grace  of  the  Holy  Spirit,  each  for  himself,  but  none  of  them 
was  baptized  with  the  Holy  Spirit  before  the  day  of  Pentecost. 

With  reference  to  the  apostles,  we  must  therefore  distinguish  a 
threefold  giving  of  the  Holy  Spirit : 

First,  that  of  saving  grace  in  regeneration  and  subsequent  illu- 
mination— Matt.  xvi.  17. 

Secondly,  official  gifts  qualifying  them  for  the  apostolic  office — 
John  XX.  22. 

Thirdly,  the  Baptism  with  the  Holy  Ghost — Acts  i.  5  in  connec- 
tion with  Acts  ii.  iff. 

One  more  difficulty  remains.  We  often  read  of  outpourings  of 
the  Holy  Spirit  after  Pentecost.  How  can  this  be  reconciled  with 
our  explanation?  In  Acts  x.  44,  45  we  read:  "While  Peter  yet 
spake  these  words,  the  Holy  Ghost  fell  on  all  who  heard  the  word. 
And  they  of  the  circumcision  which  believed  were  astonished, 
as  many  as  came  with  Peter,  because  on  the  Gentiles  also  was 
poured  out  the  gift  of  the  Holy  Ghost."  And  Peter  confirms  this 
by  saying :  "  Can  any  man  forbid  water  that  these  should  not  be 
baptized,  which  have  received  the  Holy  Ghost  as  well  as  we?" 
From  this  it  is  evident  that  the  outpouring  on  the  house  of  Cor- 
nelius was  of  the  same  nature  as  that  on  Pentecost.  Moreover,  we 
hear  of  a  descent  of  the  Holy  Ghost  in  Samaria  (Acts  viii.),  and  of 
another  in  Ephesus  (Acts  xix.  6).  This  descent  took  place  in  both 
instances  after  the  laying  on  of  hands  by  the  apostles;  and  at 
Cassarea  and  Corinth  it  was  followed  by  a  speaking  with  foreign 
tongues  as  in  Jerusalem. 

It  is  evident,  therefore,  that  the  outpouring  of  the  Holy  Spirit 
was  not  limited  to  Pentecost  in  Jerusalem,  but  was  afterward  re- 
peated in  a  weaker  and  modified  form,  but  still  extraordinarily,  as 
on  Pentecost. 

And  who  would  deny  that  there  is  an  outpouring  of  the  Holy 
Spirit  to-day  in  the  churches?  Without  it  there  can  be  no  regen- 
eration, no  salvation.  Yet  the  Pentecost  signs  are  lacking,  e.g., 
there  is  no  more  speaking  with  tongues.     Hence  it  is  necessary  to 


126     THE  OUTPOURING  OF  THE  HOLY  SPIRIT 

distinguish  between  the  ordinary  outpouring  which  occurs  now,  and 
the  extraordinary  at  Corinth,  Caesarea,  Samaria,  and  Jerusalem. 

Hence  the  question  stands  as  follows :  If  on  the  day  of  Pentecost 
the  Holy  Spirit  was  poured  out  once  for  all  and  forever,  how  do  we 
account  for  the  ordinary  and  extraordinary  outpourings? 

Allow  us  once  more  to  recur  to  our  former  illustration.  Suppose 
that  the  city  above  referred  to  consisted  of  a  lower  and  an  upper 
part,  both  to  be  supplied  from  the  same  reservoir.  Upon  the  com- 
pletion of  its  system  the  lower  city  may  receive  the  water  first,  and 
the  upper  part  receive  it  only  after  the  system  shall  have  been  ex- 
tended. Here  we  notice  two  things:  the  distribution  of  the  water 
took  place  but  once,  which  was  the  for7nal  opening  of  the  water- 
works, and  could  take  place  but  once ;  while  the  distribution  of  the 
water  in  the  upper  city,  altho  extraordinary,  was  but  an  after-effect 
of  the  former  event.  This  is  a  fair  illustration  of  what  took  place 
in  the  outpouring  of  the  Holy  Spirit.  The  Church  consisted  of  two 
parts  sharply  defined,  viz.,  the  Jewish  and  the  Gentile  world.  Yet 
both  are  to  constitute  one  body,  one  people,  one  Church ;  both  are 
to  live  one  life  in  the  Holy  Ghost.  On  Pentecost  He  is  poured  out 
into  the  body,  but  only  to  quench  the  thirst  of  one  part,  i.e.,  the 
Jewish;  the  other  part  is  still  excluded.  But  now  apostles  and 
evangelists  start  from  Jerusalem  and  come  into  contact  with  the 
Gentiles,  and  the  hour  has  come  for  the  stream  of  the  Holy  Ghost 
to  pour  forth  into  the  Gentile  part  of  the  Church,  and  the  whole 
body  is  refreshed  by  the  same  Holy  Spirit.  Hence  there  is  an 
original  outpouring  in  Jerusalem  on  the  day  of  Pentecost,  ^nd  a 
supple tnentary  outpouring  in  Caesarea  for  the  Gentile  part  of  the 
Church;  both  of  the  same  nature,  but  each  bearing  its  own  special 
character. 

Besides  these  there  are  some  isolated  outpourings  of  the  Holy 
Spirit,  attended  by  the  laying  on  of  the  apostles'  hands,  as  in  the 
case  of  Simon  Magus.  We  explain  this  as  follows :  as  from  time 
to  time  new  connections  are  made  between  individual  houses  and 
the  city  reservoir,  so  new  parts  of  the  body  of  Christ  were  added  to 
the  Church  from  without,  into  whom  the  Holy  Spirit  was  poured 
forth  from  the  body  as  into  new  members.  It  is  perfectly  natural 
that  in  these  cases  the  apostles  appear  as  instruments ;  and  that, 
receiving  into  the  Church  persons  that  come  from  a  part  of  the 
world  not  yet  connected  with  the  Church,  they  extend  to  them  by 


ISRAEL   AND   THE   NATIONS  127 

the  laying  on  of  hands  the  fellowship  of  the  Holy  Ghost  who  dwells 
in  the  body. 

This  also  explains  why  to-day  newly  converted  persons  receive 
the  Holy  Spirit  only  in  the  ordinary  way.  For  they  who  are  con- 
verted among  us  stand  already  in  the  covenant,  belong  already  to  the 
seed  of  the  Church  and  to  the  body  of  Christ.  *  Hence  no  new  con- 
nection is  formed,  but  a  work  of  the  Holy  Spirit  is  wrought  in  a 
soul  with  which  He  was  already  related  by  means  of  the  body. 

And  thus  every  objection  is  met  and  every  detail  is  put  in  its 
own  place,  and  the  lines  of  the  domain  which  had  become  vague 
and  confused  are  once  more  clearly  drawn. 

It  is  evident  also  that  the  prayer  for  another  outpouring  or  bap- 
tism of  the  Holy  Spirit  is  incorrect  and  empty  of  real  meaning. 
Such  prayer  actually  denies  the  Pentecost  miracle.  For  He  that 
came  and  abides  with  us  can  no  more  come  to  us. 

*The  author  refers  either  to  persons  baptized  in  infancy,  instructed  by 
the  ministers  of  the  Word  in  the  doctrines  of  the  Church  and  at  suitable  age 
received  into  the  Church  on  confession  of  their  faith,  or  to  persons  not  so 
received  into  the  Church,  and  then  on  the  ground  that  Holland  belongs  to 
the  baptized  nations. — Trans. 


XXVII. 
The  Signs  of  Pentecost. 

"  Signs  in  the  earth  beneath." — 
Acts  ii.  19. 

Let  tis  now  consider  the  signs  that  accompanied  the  outpouring 
of  the  Holy  Spirit — the  sound  of  a  rushing,  mighty  wind;  tongues 
of  fire ;  and  the  speaking  with  other  tongues — which  constitute  the 
fourth  difficulty  that  meets  us  in  the  investigation  of  the  events  of 
Pentecost  (see  p.  113).  The  first  and  second  precede,  the  third 
follows  the  outpouring. 

These  signs  are  not  merely  symbolic.  The  speaking  with  other 
tongues,  at  least,  appears  as  part  of  the  narrative.  Symbols  are 
intended  to  represent  or  indicate  something  or  to  call  the  attention 
to  it;  hence  it  may  be  omitted  without  affecting  the  matter  itself. 
A  symbol  is  like  a  finger-post  on  the  road:  it  may  be  removed 
without  affecting  the  road.  If  the  Pentecost  signs  were  purely 
symbolic,  the  event  would  have  been  the  same  without  them ;  but 
the  absence  of  the  sign  of  other  tongues  would  have  modified  the 
character  of  the  subsequent  history  completely. 

This  justifies  the  supposition  that  the  two  preceding  signs  were 
also  constituent  parts  of  the  miracle.  The  fact  that  neither  of  them 
is  an  apt  symbol  strengthens  the  supposition ;  for  a  symbol  must 
speak.  The  finger-post  that  leaves  the  traveler  in  doubt  concern- 
ing the  direction  he  is  to  take  is  no  finger-post.  Considering  the 
fact  that  for  eighteen  centuries  theologians  have  been  unable  to 
ascertain  the  significance  of  the  so-called  symbols  with  any  degree 
of  certainty,  it  must  be  acknowledged  that  it  is  difficult  to  believe 
that  the  apostles  or  the  multitude  understood  their  significance  at 
once  and  in  the  same  way.  The  issue  proves  the  contrary.  They 
did  not  understand  the  signs.  The  multitude,  confounded  and  pc-- 
plexed,  said  one  to  another:  "What  meaneth  this?"  And  when 
Peter  arose  as  an  apostle,  enlightened  by  the  Holy  Spirit,  to  inter- 
pret the  miracle,  he  made  no  effort  to  attach  any  symbolic  signifi- 


THE    SIGNS    OF   PENTECOST  129 

cance  to  the  signs,  but  simply  declared  that  an  event  had  taken 
place  by  which  the  prophecy  of  Joel  was  fulfilled. 

Did  the  event  of  Pentecost  then  exhaust  the  prophecy  of  Joel? 
By  no  means;  for  the  sun  was  not  turned  into  darkness,  nor  the 
moon  into  blood;  and  we  hear  nothing  of  the  dreams  of  old  men. 
Nor  could  it ;  the  notable  day  that  will  exhaust  this  and  so  many 
other  prophecies  can  not  come  until  the  return  of  the  Lord.  But 
the  holy  apostle  meant  to  say,  that  the  day  of  the  Lord's  return 
was  brought  so  much  nearer  by  this  event.  The  outpouring  of  the 
Holy  Spirit  is  one  of  the  great  events  which  pledge  the  coming  of 
that  great  and  notable  day.  Without  it  that  day  can  not  come. 
Looking  back  from  heaven,  the  day  of  Pentecost  will  appear  to  us 
as  the  last  great  miracle  immediately  preceding  the  day  of  the 
Lord.  And  since  that  day  shall  be  attended  by  awful  signs,  as  was 
the  preparatory  day  of  Pentecost,  the  apostle  puts  them  together 
and  makes  them  appear  as  one,  showing  that  in  Joel's  prophecy 
God  points  to  both  events. 

If  it  be  certain  that  the  signs  attending  the  Lord's  return— blood, 
fire,  and  vapor  of  smoke — shall  not  be  symbolic,  but  constituent  ele- 
ments of  that  last  part  of  the  world's  history,  viz.,  its  last  conflagra- 
tion, then  it  is  certain  that  Peter  did  not  understand  the  signs  of 
Pentecost  to  be  symbolic. 

Neither  can  the  still  more  unsatisfactory  explanation  be  enter- 
tained that  these  signs  were  intended  to  draw  and  fix  the  attention 
of  the  multitude. 

The  senses  of  sight  and  hearing  are  the  most  effectual  means  by 
which  the  outside  world  can  act  upon  our  consciousness.  In  order 
suddenly  to  arouse  and  excite  a  person,  one  need  only  startle  him 
by  an  explosion  or  by  the  flash  of  a  dazzling  light.  Acting  upon 
this,  some  of  the  earlier  Methodists  used  to  fire  pistols  at  their  re- 
vival meetings,  hoping  that  the  report  and  flash  would  create  the 
desired  state  of  mind.  The  subsequent  excitement  of  the  people 
would  tend  to  make  them  more  susceptible  to  the  operation  of  the 
Holy  Spirit.  Similar  experiments  are  those  of  the  Salvation  Army. 
According  to  this  notion,  the  signs  of  Pentecost  bore  a  similar  char- 
acter. It  is  supposed  by  some  that  the  disciples,  still  unconverted 
men,  were  sitting  together  in  the  upper  chamber  on  the  day  of  Pen- 
tecost. To  render  them  susceptible  to  the  inflowing  of  the  Holy 
Spirit  they  must  be  aroused  by  a  noise  and  fire.  It  must  seem  as 
tho  a  violent  thunder-storm  had  burst  upon  the  city ;  flashes  of  light- 
9 


I30    THE  OUTPOURING  OF  THE  HOLY  SPIRIT 

ning  and  peals  of  thunder  were  seen  and  heard.  And  when  the 
multitude  were  startled  and  terrified,  then  the  desired  condition  for 
receiving  the  Holy  Spirit  prevailed  and  the  outpouring  took  place. 
Such  extravagances  only  hurt  the  tender  sense  of  the  children  of 
God ;  while  it  is  almost  sacrilege  to  compare  the  signs  of  Pentecost 
to  the  report  of  a  pistol. 

Hence  there  remains  only  one  other  explanation,  i.e.,  to  consider 
the  Pentecost  signs  as  actual  and  real  constituents  of  the  event ;  in- 
dispensable links  in  the  chain  of  occurrences. 

When  a  ship  enters  the  harbor  we  see  the  foaming  spray  under 
the  bow  and  hear  the  waters  dashing  against  the  sides.  When  a 
horse  runs  through  the  street  we  hear  the  noise  of  his  hoofs  against 
the  pavement  and  see  the  clouds  of  dust.  But  who  will  say  that 
these  things  seen  and  heard  are  symbolic?  They  necessarily  belong 
to  those  actions  and  are  parts  of  them,  impossible  without  them. 
Therefore  we  do  not  believe  that  the  Pentecost  signs  were  symbolic, 
or  intended  to  create  a  sensation,  but  that  they  belonged  insep- 
arably to  the  outpouring  of  the  Holy  Ghost,  and  were  caused  by 
it.  The  outpouring  could  not  take  place  without  creating  these 
signs.  When  the  mountain-stream  dashes  down  the  steep  sides  of 
the  rocks  we  must  hear  the  sound  of  rushing  waters,  we  must  see 
the  flying  spray;  so  when  the  Holy  Spirit  flows  down  from  the 
mountains  of  God's  holiness,  the  sound  of  a  rushing,  mighty  wind 
must  be  heard,  and  glorious  brightness  must  be  seen,  and  a  speak- 
ing with  foreign  tongues  must  follow. 

This  will  sufficiently  explain  our  meaning.  Not  that  we  deny 
that  these  signs  had  also  a  significance  for  the  multitude.  The 
noise  of  the  horse's  hoofs  warns  travelers  on  the  road.  And  we 
concede  that  the  purpose  of  the  signs  was  realized  in  the  perplexity 
and  consternation  which  they  caused  in  the  hearts  of  those  present. 
But  this  we  maintain,  that  even  in  the  absence  of  the  multitude  and 
their  consternation  the  sound  of  a  rushing,  mighty  wind  would  have 
been  heard  and  the  fiery  tongues  would  have  been  seen.  As  the 
horse's  hoofs  cause  the  ground  to  vibrate  tho  there  be  no  traveler 
in  sight,  so  the  Holy  Spirit  could  not  come  down  without*  that  sound 
and  that  brightness,  even  tho  not  a  single  Jew  were  to  be  found  in 
all  Jerusalem. 

The  outpouring  of  the  Holy  Spirit  was  real,  not  apparent.  Hav- 
ing found  His  temple  in  the  glorified  Head,  He  must  necessarily 
flow  down  into  the  body  and   descend  from   heaven.     And  this 


THE   SIGNS    OF   PENTECOST  131 

descent  from  heaven  and  this  flowing  into  the  body  could  not  take 
place  without  causing  these  signs. 

To  penetrate  more  deeply  into  this  matter  is  not  lawful.  On 
Horeb  Elijah  heard  the  Lord  pass  by  in  a  gentle  breeze;  Isaiah 
heard  the  moving  of  the  door-posts  in  the  Temple.  This  seems  to 
indicate  that  the  approach  of  the  divine  majesty  causes  a  commo- 
tion in  the  elements  perceptible  to  the  auditory  nerve.  But  how, 
we  can  not  tell.     We  observe,  however: 

First,  that  spirit  can  act  upon  matter  is  evident,  for  our  spirits 
act  upon  the  body  every  moment,  and  by  that  action  are  able  to 
produce  sounds.  Speaking,  crying,  singing  are  nothing  but  our 
spirit  acting  upon  the  currents  of  air.  And  if  our  spirit  is  capable 
of  such  action,  why  not  the  Spirit  of  the  Lord?  Why,  then,  call  it 
mysterious  when  the  Holy  Spirit  in  His  descent  so  wrought  upon 
the  elements  that  the  effects  vibrated  in  the  ears  of  those  present? 

Secondly,  in  making  the  covenant  with  Israel  upon  Sinai,  the 
Lord  God  spoke  in  peals  of  thunder  so  terrible  that  even  Moses 
said,  "I  am  exceedingly  fearful  and  quaking";  yet  not  with  the 
intention  of  terrifying  the  people,  but  because  a  holy  and  angry 
God  can  not  speak  otherwise  to  a  sinful  generation.  It  is  not 
therefore  surprising  that  the  coming  of  God  to  His  New  Covenant 
people  is  attended  by  similar  signs,  not  in  order  to  draw  men's 
attention,  but  because  it  could  not  be  otherwise. 

The  same  applies  to  the  tongues  of  fire.  Supernatural  manifes- 
tations are  always  attended  by  light  and  brightness,  especially  when 
the  Lord  Jehovah  or  His  angel  appears.  Recall,  e.g.,  God's  cove- 
nant-making with  Abraham,  or  the  occurrences  at  the  burning  bush. 
Why,  then,  should  it  surprise  us  that  the  descent  of  the  Holy  Spirit 
was  attended  by  phenomena  such  as  those  seen  by  Elijah  on  Horeb, 
Moses  in  the  bush,  St.  Paul  on  the  way  to  Damascus,  and  St.  John 
on  Patmos?  That  the  cloven  tongues  sat  upon  each  of  them  proves 
nothing  to  the  contrary;  for  He  proceeded  to  each  of  them  and 
entered  their  hearts,  and  in  each  going  He  left  a  trace  of  light 
behind. 

The  question,  whether  the  fire  seen  by  these  men  on  those  occa- 
sions belonged  to  a  higher  sphere,  or  was  the  effect  of  God's  action 
upon  the  elements  of  the  earth,  can  not  be  answered. 

Both  views  have  much  in  their  favor.  There  is  no  darkness  in 
heaven ;  and  the  heavenly  light  must  be  of  a  higher  nature  than 
ours,  even  above  the  brightness  of  the  sun,  according  to  St.  Paul's 


132     THE  OUTPOURING  OF  THE  HOLY  SPIRIT 

description  of  the  light  on  the  way  to  Damascus.     It  is  very  prob-  J 

able,  therefore,  that  in  these  great  events  the  boundary  of  heaven  ■ 

overlapped  the  earth,  and  a  higher  glory  shone  in  upon  our  atmos- 
phere. 

But,  on  the  other  hand,  it  is  possible  that  the  Holy  Spirit 
wrought  this  mysterious  brightness  directly  by  a  miracle.  And 
this  seems  to  be  confirmed  by  the  fact  that  the  signs  attending  the 
law-giving  on  Sinai,  which  event  was  parallel  to  this,  were  not 
from  higher  spheres,  but  wrought  from  earthly  elements. 

Finally,  let  it  be  noticed,  that  the  outpouring  of  the  Holy  Spirit 
on  the  house  of  Cornelius  and  on  the  disciples  of  Apollos  was  at- 
tended by  a  speaking  with  other  tongues,  but  not  by  the  other  signs. 
This  confirms  our  theory;  for  it  was  not  a  coming  to  the  house  of 
Cornelius,  but  a  conducting  of  the  Holy  Spirit  into  another  part  of 
the  body  of  Christ.  If  symbolism  had  been  intended,  the  signs 
would  have  been  repeated ;  not  being  symbols,  they  did  not  appear. 


I 


XXVIII. 
The  Miracle  of  Tong^ues. 

•'  If  any  man  speak  in  an  (unknown) 
tongue,  ...  let  one  interpret.  But 
if  there  be  no  interpreter,  let  him 
speak  to  himself,  and  to  God." — i 
Cor.  xiv.  27,  28. 

The  third  sign  following  the  outpouring  of  the  Holy  Spirit  con- 
sisted in  extraordinary  sounds  that  proceeded  from  the  lips  of  the 
apostles — sounds  foreign  to  the  Aramaic  tongue,  never  before  heard 
from  their  lips. 

These  sounds  affected  the  multitude  in  different  ways:  some 
called  them  babblings  of  inebriated  men ;  others  heard  in  them  the 
great  works  of  God  proclaimed.  To  the  latter,  it  seemed  as  tho 
they  heard  them  speaking  in  their  own  tongues.  To  the  Parthian 
it  sounded  like  the  Parthian,  to  the  Arabian  like  the  Arabic,  etc. ; 
while  St.  Peter  declared  that  this  sign  belonged  to  the  realm  of  rev- 
elation, for  it  was  the  fulfilment  of  the  prophecy  of  Joel  that  all  the 
people  should  become  partakers  of  the  operation  of  the  Holy  Spirit. 

The  question  how  to  interpret  this  wonderful  sign  has  occupied 
the  thinking  minds  of  all  times.  Allow  us  to  offer  a  solution,  which 
we  present  in  the  following  observations : 

In  the  first  place — This  phenomenon  of  spiritual  speaking  in  ex- 
traordinary sounds  is  not  confined  to  Pentecost  nor  to  the  second 
chapter  of  the  Acts. 

On  the  contrary,  the  Lord  told  His  disciples,  even  before  the 
ascension,  that  they  should  speak  with  new  tongues — Mark  xvi.  18. 
And  from  the  epistles  of  St.  Paul  it  is  evident  that  this  prophecy 
did  not  refer  to  Pentecost  alone;  for  we  read  in  i  Cor.  xii.  10  that  in 
the  apostolic  Church,  spiritual  gifts  included  that  of  tongues;  that 
some  spoke  in  yhri  yluTTuv,  i.e.,  in  kinds  of  tongues  or  sounds.  In 
ver.  28  the  apostle  declares  that  God  has  set  this  spiritual  phenome- 
non in  the  Church.  It  is  noteworthy  that  in  1  Cor.  xiv.  1-33  the 
apostle  gives  special  attejxtion  to  this  extraordinary  sign,  showing 


134     THE  OUTPOURING  OF  THE  HOLY  SPIRIT 

that  then  it  was  quite  ordinary.  That  the  gift  of  tongues  mentioned 
by  St.  Paul  and  the  sign  of  which  St.  Luke  speaks  in  Acts  ii.  are 
substantially  one  and  the  same  can  not  be  doubted.  In  the  first 
place,  Christ's  prophecy  is  general :  "  They  shall  speak  with  new 
tongues."  Secondly,  both  phenomena  are  said  to  have  made  irre- 
sistible impressions  upon  unbelievers.  Thirdly,  both  are  treated  as 
spiritual  gifts.     And  lastly,  to  both  is  applied  the  same  name. 

Yet  there  was  a  \Qxy perceptible  difference  between  the  two:  the 
miracle  of  tongues  on  the  day  of  Pentecost  was  intelligible  to  a 
large  number  of  hearers  of  different  nationalities;  while  in  the 
apostolic  churches  it  was  understood  only  by  a  few  who  were  called 
interpreters.  Connected  with  this  is  the  fact  that  the  miracle  on 
Pentecost  made  the  impression  of  speaking  at  once  to  different 
hearers  in  different  tongues  so  that  they  were  edified.  However, 
this  is  no  fundamental  difference.  Altho  in  the  apostolic  churches 
there  were  but  few  interpreters,  yet  there  were  some  who  under- 
stood the  wonderful  speech. 

There  was,  moreover,  a  marked  difference  between  the  men  thus 
endowed :  some  understood  what  they  were  saying ;  others  did  not. 
For  St.  Paul  admonishes  them,  saying:  "  Let  him  that  speaketh  in 
an  unknown  tongue,  pray  that  he  may  interpret"  (i  Cor.  xiv.  13). 
Yet  even  without  this  ability,  the  speaking  with  tongues  had  an 
edifying  effect  upon  the  speaker  himself;  but  it  was  an  edification 
not  understood,  the  effect  of  an  unknown  operation  in  the  soul. 

From  this  we  gather  that  the  miracle  of  tongues  consisted  in  the 
uttering  of  extraordinary  sounds  which  from  existing  data  could.be 
explained  neither  by  the  speaker  nor  by  the  hearer ;  and  to  which 
another  grace  was  sometimes  added,  viz.,  that  of  interpretation. 
Hence  three  things  were  possible :  that  the  speaker  alone  understood 
what  he  said;  or,  that  others  understood  it  and  «^/ himself ;  or,  that 
both  speaker  and  hearers  understood  it.  This  understanding  has 
reference  to  one  or  more  persons. 

On  the  ground  of  this  we  comprise  these  miracles  of  tongues  in 
one  class;  with  this  distinction,  however,  that  on  the  day  of  Pente- 
cost the  miracle  appeared  perfect,  but  later  on  incomplete.  As  there 
is  in  the  miracles  of  Christ  in  raising  the  dead  a  perceptible  increase 
of  power:  first,  the  raising  up  of  one  just  dead  (the  daughter  of 
Jairus),  then,  of  one  about  to  be  buried  (the  young  man  of  Nain),  and 
lastly,  of  one  already  decomposing  (Lazarus) ;  so  there  is  also  in  the 
miracle  of  tongues  a  difference  of  power — not  increasing,  but  decreas- 


THE    MIRACLE   OF   TONGUES  135 

ing.  The  mightiest  operation  of  the  Holy  Spirit  is  seen  first,  then 
those  less  powerful.  It  is  precisely  the  same  as  in  our  own  heart: 
first,  the  mighty  fact  of  regeneration ;  after  that,  the  less  marked 
manifestations  of  spiritual  power.  Hence  on  Pentecost  there  was 
the  miracle  of  tongues  in  its  perfection ;  later  on  in  the  churches, 
in  weaker  measure. 

Secondly — There  is  no  evidence  that  the  miracle  of  tongues  con- 
sisted in  the  speaking  of  one  of  the  known  languages  not  previously 
acquired. 

If  this  had  been  the  case,  St.  Paul  could  not  have  said:  "If  I 
pray  in  an  unknown  tongue,  my  spirit  prayeth,  but  my  understand- 
ing is  unfruitful "  (i  Cor.  xiv.  14).  The  word  "  unknown  "  appears 
in  italics,  not  being  found  in  the  Greek.  Moreover,  he  says  that 
tongues  are  for  a  sign  not  to  them  that  believe,  but  to  them  that 
believe  not — ver.  22.  If  it  had  been  a  question  of  foreign  but 
ordinary  languages,  the  matter  of  understanding  them  could  not 
depend  upon  faith,  but  simply  upon  the  fact  whether  the  language 
was  acquired  by  study  or  was  one's  native  tongue. 

Finally,  the  notion  that  these  tongues  refer  to  foreign  languages 
not  acquired  by  study  is  contradicted  by  St.  Paul :  "  I  thank  my 
God  that  I  speak  with  tongues  more  than  ye  all."  By  which  he  can 
not  mean  that  he  had  mastered  more  languages  than  others,  but 
that  he  possessed  the  gift  of  tongues  in  greater  degree  than  other 
men.  The  following  verse  is  evidence :  "  Yet  in  the  Church  I  had 
rather  speak  five  words  with  my  understanding,  that  I  may  teach 
others  also,  than  ten  thousand  words  in  an  (unknown)  tongue." 
According  to  the  other  view,  this  ought  to  have  been :  "  I  wish  to 
speak  in  one  language,  so  that  the  Church  may  understand  me, 
rather  than  in  ten  or  twenty  languages  which  the  Church  under- 
stands not."  But  the  apostle  does  not  say  this.  He  speaks  not  of 
many  languages  in  opposition  to  one,  but  of  five  sounds  or  words 
against  ten  thousand  words.  From  this  it  follows  that  St.  Paul's 
"  I  speak  vfith.  glottal  (langfuages  or  sounds)  more  than  ye  all,"  must 
refer  to  the  miracle  of  sounds. 

For  altho  it  is  objected  very  naturally  that  on  Pentecost  the 
apostles  spoke  the  Arabic,  Hebrew,  and  Parthian  tongues  besides 
many  others,  yet  the  fact  appealed  to  is  not  proven  to  be  a  fact. 
Surely  we  learn  from  Acts  ii,  that  these  Parthians,  Elamites,  etc., 
received  the  impression  that  they  were  addressed  each  in  his  own 


136     THE  OUTPOURING  OF  THE  HOLY  SPIRIT 

tongue ;  yet  the  narrative  itself  proves  rather  the  contrary.  Let  the 
experiment  be  tried.  Let  fifteen  men  (the  number  of  languages 
mentioned  in  Acts  ii.)  speak  in  fifteen  different  languages  at  once 
and  together,  and  the  result  will  be  not  that  every  one  hears  his 
own  language,  but  that  no  one  can  hear  anything.  But  the  nar- 
rative of  Acts  ii.  is  fully  explained  in  that  the  apostles  uttered 
sounds  intelligible  to  Parthians,  Medes,  Cretans,  etc.,  because  they 
understood  them,  receiving  the  impression  that  these  sounds  agreed 
with  their  own  mother-tongues.  As  a  Dutch  child  seeing  a  problem 
on  the  blackboard  worked  out  by  an  English  or  German  child 
naturally  receives  the  impression  that  it  was  done  by  a  Dutch  child, 
simply  because  figures  are  signs  not  affected  by  the  difference  of 
language,  so  must  the  Elamite  have  received  the  impression  that 
he  heard  the  Elamitian,  and  the  Egyptian  that  he  was  addressed  in 
the  Egyptian  tongue,  when  on  Pentecost  they  heard  sounds  uttered 
by  a  miracle,  which,  being  independent  from  the  difference  of  lan- 
guage, were  intelligible  to  man  as  nian. 

We  must  not  forget  that  speaking  is  nothing  else  than  to  pro- 
duce impressions  upon  the  soul  of  the  hearer  by  means  of  vibrations 
in  the  air.  But  if  the  same  impressions  can  be  produced  without 
the  aid  of  air-vibrations,  the  effect  upon  the  hearer  must  be  the 
same.  Try  the  experiment  upon  the  eye.  The  sight  of  twinkling 
stars  or  dissolving  figures  excites  the  retina.  The  same  effect  can 
be  produced  by  rubbing  the  eye  with  the  finger  when  reclining 
on  a  couch  in  a  dark  room.  And  this  applies  here.  The  air- 
vibrations  are  not  the  principal  thing,  but  the  emotion  produqed  in 
the  mind  by  the  speaking.  The  Pamphylian,  accustomed  to  re- 
ceive emotions  by  hearing  his  mother-tongue,  and  receiving  the 
same  impression  in  another  way,  must  think  that  he  is  addressed  in 
the  Pamphylian  tongue. 

Thirdly — According  to  St.  Paul's  interesting  information,  the 
miracle  of  tongues  consisted  in  this,  that  the  vocal  organs  produced 
sounds  not  by  a  working  of  the  mind,  but  by  an  operation  of  the 
Holy  Spirit  upon  those  organs. 

St.  Luke  writes :  "  They  began  to  speak  with  other  tongues,  as 
the  Spirit  gave  them  utterance "  (Acts  ii.  4) ;  and  St.  Paul  proves 
exhaustively  that  the  person  speaking  with  tongues  spoke  not  with 
his  understanding,  i.e.,  as  a  result  of  his  own  thinking,  but  in  con- 
sequence of  an  entirely  different  operation.     That  this  is  possible, 


THE    MIRACLE    OF  TONGUES  137 

we  see,  first,  in  delirious  persons,  who  say  things  outside  of  their 
own  personal  thinking;  second,  in  the  insane,  whose  incoherent 
talk  has  no  sense ;  third,  in  persons  possessed,  whose  vocal  organs 
are  used  by  demons;  fourth,  in  Balaam,  whose  vocal  organs  ut- 
tered words  of  blessing  upon  Israel  against  his  will. 

Hence  it  must  be  conceded  that  in  man  three  things  are  possible : 

First,  that  for  a  time  he  maybe  deprived  of  the  use  of  his  vocal 
organs. 

Second,  that  the  use  of  these  organs  may  be  appropriated  by  a 
spirit  who  has  overcome  him. 

Third,  that  the  Holy  Spirit,  appropriating  his  vocal  organs,  can 
produce  sounds  from  his  lips  which  are  "new,"  and  "  other"  than 
the  language  which  ordinarily  he  speaks. 

Fourthly — In  the  Greek  these  sounds  invariably  are  designated  by 
the  word  ■y?.uTTat,  i.e.,  tongues,  hence  language.  In  the  Greek  world, 
from  which  this  word  is  taken,  the  word  "  glotta  "  always  stands  in 
strong  opposition  to  the  "  logos,"  reason. 

A  man's  thinking  is  the  hidden,  invisible,  imperceptible  process 
of  his  mind.  Thought  has  a  soul,  but  no  body.  But  when  the 
thought  manifests  itself  and  adopts  a  body,  then  there  is  a  word. 
And  the  tongue  being  the  movable  organ  of  speech,  it  was  said  that 
the  tongue  gives  a  body  to  the  thought.  Hence  the  contrast  be- 
tween the  logos,  i.e.,  that  which  a  man  thinks  with  the  mind,  and 
the  glotta,  i.e.,  that  which  he  utters  with  the  vocal  organs. 

Ordinarily  the  glotta  comes  only  through  and  after  the  logos. 
But  in  the  miracle  of  tongues  we  discover  the  extraordinary  phe- 
nomenon that  while  the  logos  remained  inactive,  the  glotta  uttered 
sounds.  And  since  it  was  a  phenomenon  of  sounds  which  proceeded 
not  from  the  thinking  mind,  but  from  the  tongue,  the  Holy  Scripture 
calls  it  very  appropriately  a  gift  of  the  glottai,  i.L,  a  gift  of  tongue 
— or  sound-phenomena. 

Lastly — In  answer  to  the  question,  How  must  this  be  understood? 
we  offer  the  following  representation :  Speech  in  man  is  the  result 
of  his  thinking ;  and  this  thinking  in  a  sinless  state  is  an  in-shining 
of  the  Holy  Spirit.  Speech  in  a  sinless  state  is  therefore  the  result 
of  inspiration,  in-breathing  of  the  Holy  Spirit. 

Hence  in  a  sinless  state  man's  language  would  have  been  the 
pure  and  perfect  product  of  an  operation  of  the  Holy  Spirit.     He 


138     THE  OUTPOURING  OF  THE  HOLY  SPIRIT 

is  the  Creator  of  human  language;  and  without  the  injury  and  de- 
basing influence  of  sin  the  connection  between  the  Holy  Ghost  and 
our  speech  would  have  been  complete.  But  sin  has  broken  the 
connection.  Human  language  is  damaged :  damaged  by  the  weak- 
ening of  the  organs  of  speech;  by  the  separation  of  tribes  and 
nations;  by  the  passions  of  the  soul;  by  the  darkening  of  the 
understanding;  and  principally  by  the  lie  which  has  entered  in. 
Hence  that  infinite  distance  between  this  pure  and  genuine  human 
language  which,  as  the  direct  operation  of  the  Holy  Spirit  upon  the 
human  mind,  should  have  manifested  itself,  and  the  empirically 
existing  languages  that  now  separate  the  nations — a  difference  like 
unto  that  between  the  glorious  Adam  and  the  deformed  Hottentot. 

But  the  difference  is  not  intended  to  remain.  Sin  will  disappear. 
What  sin  destroyed  will  be  restored.  In  the  day  of  the  Lord,  at  the 
wedding-feast  of  the  Lamb,  all  the  redeemed  will  understand  one 
another.  In  what  way?  By  the  restoration  of  the  pure  and  original 
language  upon  the  lips  of  the  redeemed,  which  is  born  from  the 
operation  of  the  Holy  Spirit  upon  the  human  mind.  And  of  that 
great,  still-tarrying  event  the  Pentecost  miracle  is  the  germ  and 
the  beginning;  hence  it  bore  its  distinctive  marks.  In  the  midst  of 
the  Babeldom  of  the  nations,  on  the  day  of  Pentecost,  the  one  pure 
and  mighty  human  language  was  revealed  which  one  day  all  will 
speak,  and  all  the  brethren  and  sisters  from  all  nations  and  tongues 
will  understand. 

And  this  was  wrought  by  the  Holy  Spirit.  They  spake  as  the 
Holy  Spirit  gave  them  utterance.  They  spoke  a  heavenly  language 
to  praise  God — not  of  angels,  but  a  language  above  the  influence 
of  sin. 

Hence  the  understanding  of  this  language  was  also  a  work  of 
the  Holy  Spirit,  At  Jerusalem,  only  they  understood  it  who  were 
specially  wrought  upon  by  the  Holy  Spirit.  The  others  understood 
it  not.  And  at  Corinth  it  was  not  comprehended  by  the  masses, 
but  by  him  alone  to  whom  it  was  given  of  the  Holy  Ghost. 


Bigbtb  Cbapter. 
THE  APOSTOLATE. 


XXIX. 
The  Apostolate. 

"  That  ye  also  may  have  fellowship 
with  us:  and  tnily  our  fellowship 
is  with  the  Father,  and  with  His 
Son  Jesus  Christ." — i  John  i.  3. 

The  apostolate  bears  the  character  of  an  extraordinary  manifesta- 
tion, not  seen  before  or  after  it,  in  which  we  discover  a  proper  work 
of  the  Holy  Spirit.  The  apostles  were  ambassadors  extraordinary — 
different  from  the  prophets,  different  from  the  present  ministers  of 
the  Word.  In  the  history  of  the  Church  and  the  world  they  occupy 
a  unique  position  and  have  a  peculiar  significance.  Hence  the 
apostolate  is  entitled  to  a  special  discussion. 

Moreover,  the  apostolate  belongs  to  the  great  things  which  the 
Holy  Spirit  has  wrought.  All  that  the  Holy  Scripture  declares 
concerning  the  apostles  compels  us  to  look  for  an  explanation  of 
their  persons  and  mission  in  a  special  work  of  the  Holy  Spirit. 
Before  His  ascension  Jesus  predicted  repeatedly  that  they  should  be 
His  witnesses  only  after  they  shall  have  received  the  Holy  Spirit 
in  an  extraordinary  manner.  Until  this  promise  is  fulfilled  they 
remain  hiding  in  Jerusalem.  And  when  they  raise  the  banner  of 
the  cross  in  Jerusalem  and  in  the  ends  of  the  earth,  they  appeal  to 
the  power  of  the  Holy  Spirit  as  the  secret  of  their  appearance. 

The  apostolate  was  holy,  and  we  call  them  holy  apostles,  not  be- 
cause they  had  attained  a  higher  degree  of  perfection,  but  "holy" 
in  the  Scriptural  sense  of  being  separated,  set  apart,  like  the  Temple 
and  its  furniture,  for  the  service  of  a  holy  God. 

By  sin  many  things  have  become  unholy.     Before  sin  entered 


140  THE   APOSTOLATE 

into  the  world  all  things  were  holy.  That  part  of  creation  which 
became  unholy  stands  in  opposition  to  that  which  remained  holy. 
The  latter  is  called  Heaven ;  that  which  was  made  holy  is  called 
Church.  And  all  that  belongs  to  the  Church,  to  its  being  and  or- 
ganism, is  called  holy. 

Hence  Jesus  could  say  to  the  disciples  who  were  about  to  deny 
Him :  "  Ye  are  clean  through  the  word  which  I  have  spoken  unto 
you."  In  like  manner  the  members  of  the  Church  and  their  children 
are  called  "  sanctified";  and  in  his  epistles  St.  Paul  addresses  them 
as  holy  and  beloved :  not  because  they  were  sinless,  but  because  God 
had  set  them  as  called  saints  in  the  realm  of  His  holiness,  which  by 
His  grace  He  had  separated  from  the  realm  of  sin.  In  like  manner 
the  Scripture  is  called  holy :  not  to  indicate  that  it  is  the  record  of 
holy  things  only,  but  that  its  origin  is  not  in  man's  sinful  life,  btxt 
in  the  holy  realm  of  the  life  of  God. 

We  confess,  therefore,  that  the  apostles  of  Jesus  were  set  apart 
for  the  service  of  God's  holy  Kingdom,  and  that  they  were  qualified 
for  their  calling  by  the  power  of  the  Holy  Spirit. 

By  omitting  the  word  "  holy,"  as  many  do,  we  make  the  apostles 
common ;  we  consider  them  as  ordinary  preachers ;  in  degree  above 
us  undoubtedly,  being  more  richly  developed,  especially  by  their 
intercourse  with  Christ,  and  as  His  witnesses  very  dear  to  us,  but 
still  occupying  the  same  level  with  other  teachers  and  ministers  of 
the  Church  of  all  ages.  And  so  the  conviction  will  be  lost  that  the 
apostles  are  men  different  in  kind  from  all  other  men;  lost  the 
realization  that  in  them  appeared  a  peculiar  and  unique  ministry ; 
lost  also  the  grateful  confession  that  the  Lord  our  God  gave  us  in 
these  men  extraordinary  grace. 

And  this  explains  why  some  ministers,  at  the  special  occasion 
of  installation,  departure,  or  jubilee,  apply  to  themselves  apostolic 
utterances  that  are  not  applicable  to  their  persons,  but  exclusively 
to  the  men  who  occupy  a  peculiar  and  unique  position  in  the  Church 
of  all  ages  and  all  lands.  For  this  reason  we  repeat  purposely  the 
title  of  honor,  "  holy  apostles,"  in  order  that  the  peculiar  significance 
of  the  apostolate  may  again  receive  honorable  recognition  in  our 
churches. 

This  peculiar  significance  of  the  apostolate  appears  in  the  Holy 
Scripture  in  various  ways. 

We  begin  with  referring  to  the  prologue  of  the  First  Epistle  of  St. 


THE   APOSTOLATE  141 

John,  in  which,  from  the  fulness  of  the  apostolic  sense,  the  holy 
apostle  solemnly  addresses  ns.  He  opens  his  epistle  by  declaring 
that  they,  the  apostles  of  the  Lord,  occupy  an  exceptional  position 
regarding  the  miracle  of  the  incarnation  of  the  Word.  He  says: 
"  The  "Word  became  flesh,  and  in  that  incarnate  Word,  Life  was 
manifested ;  and  that  that  manifested  Life  was  heard  and  seen  and 
handled  with  hands."  By  whom?  By  everybody?  No,  by  the 
apostles;  for  he  adds  emphatically :  "  That  which  we  have  seen  and 
heard  declare  we  unto  you,  and  shew  you  that  eternal  life  which 
was  with  the  Father  and  was  manifested  unto  us." 

And  what  was  the  aim  of  this  declaration?  To  save  souls? 
Surely  this  also,  but  not  this  in  the  first  place.  The  purpose  of  this 
apostolic  declaration  is  to  bring  the  members  of  the  Church  into 
connection  with  the  apostolate.  For,  clearly  and  emphatically,  he 
adds:  "  This  we  declare  unto  you,  that  ye  also  may  have  fellowship 
with  us."  And  only  after  this  link  is  closed,  and  the  fellowship 
with  the  apostolate  an  accomplished  fact,  he  says :  "  And  truly  our 
fellowship  is  with  the  Father,  and  with  His  Son  Jesus  Christ." 

The  apostle's  reasoning  is  as  transparent  as  glass.  Life  was 
manifested  in  such  a  way  that  it  could  be  seen  and  handled.  They 
who  saw  and  handled  it  were  the  apostles;  and  they  were  also  to 
declare  this  life  unto  the  elect.  By  this  declaration  the  required 
fellowship  between  the  elect  and  the  apostolate  is  established. 
And  in  consequence  of  this,  there  is  fellowship  also  for  the  elect 
with  the  Father  and  the  Son. 

This  may  not  be  understood  as  referring  only  to  the  people  then 
living;  and,  regarding  Rome,  one's  position,  Bible  in  hand,  is  ex- 
ceedingly weak  if  he  maintain  that  this  higher  significance  of  the 
apostolate  had  reference  only  to  the  then  living,  and  not  in  the 
same  measure  to  us.  Indeed,  we,  upon  whom  the  end  of  the  ages 
has  come,  must  maintain  the  vital  fellowship  with  the  holy  aposto- 
late of  our  Lord  Jesus  Christ.  Rome  errs  by  making  its  bishops 
the  successors  of  the  apostles,  teaching  that  fellowship  with  the 
apostolate  depends  upon  fellowship  with  Rome :  an  error  which  is 
obvious  from  the  fact  that  St.  John  expressly  and  emphatically 
connects  the  fellowship  of  the  apostolate  with  men  who  have  seen 
and  heard  and  handled  that  which  was  manifested  of  the  Word  of 
Life  —  something  to  which  no  Roman  bishop  can  appeal  in  the 
present  day.  Moreover,  St.  John  says  distinctly  that  this  fellowship 
with  the  apostolate  must  be  the  result  of  the  declaration  of  the  Word 


142  THE   APOSTOLATE 

of  Life  by  the  apostles  themselves.  And  inasmuch  as  Rome  established 
this  fellowship  not  by  the  preaching  of  the  Word,  but  by  the  sacra- 
mental sign,  it  is  in  direct  opposition  to  the  apostolic  doctrine. 

However,  from  this  it  follows  not  that  Rome  errs  in  the  funda- 
mental thought,  viz.,  that  every  child  of  God  must  exercise  com- 
munion with  the  Father  and  the  Son  through  the  apostolate ;  on  the 
contrary,  this  is  St.  John's  positive  claim.  The  solution  of  this 
apparent  conflict  lies  in  the  fact  that  they  have  not  only  spoken,  but 
also  written:  i.e.,  their  declaration  of  the  Word  of  Life  was  not 
limited  to  the  little  circle  of  the  men  that  happened  to  hear  them  ; 
on  the  contrary,  by  writing  they  have  put  their  preaching  into  real 
and  enduring  forms ;  they  have  sent  it  out  to  all  lands  and  nations ; 
that,  as  the  genuine,  ecumenic  apostles  they  might  bring  the  testi- 
mony of  the  Life  which  was  manifested  to  all  the  elect  of  God  in 
all  lands  and  throughout  the  ages. 

Hence  even  now  the  apostles  are  preaching  the  living  Christ  in 
the  churches.  Their  persons  have  departed,  but  their  personal 
testimony  remains.  And  that  personal  testimony,  which  as  an 
apostolic  document  has  come  to  every  soul  in  every  land  and  in 
every  age,  is  the  very  testimony  which  even  now  is  the  instrument 
in  the  hand  of  the  Holy  Spirit  to  translate  souls  into  the  fellowship 
of  the  Life  Eternal. 

And  if  one  says,  "  Surely  in  this  sense  their  word  is  still  effec- 
tive ;  however,  it  results  no  longer  in  fellowship  with  the  apostles, 
and  by  means  of  this  fellowship  with  Christ,  but  it  points  us  directly 
to  the  Savior  of  our  souls,  which  is  a  more  simple  way,"  then  we 
oppose  this  unscriptural  notion  most  energetically. 

Such  reasoning  ignores  the  body  of  Christ  and  overlooks  the 
great  fact  of  the  outpouring  of  the  Holy  Spirit.  There  is  not  the 
saving  of  a  few  individual  souls,  but  a  bringing  together  of  the  body 
of  Christ;  and  into  that  body  every  one  that  is  called  must  be  incor- 
porated. And  inasmuch  as  the  King  of  the  Church  gives  His  Spirit 
now  not  to  separate  persons,  but  exclusively  to  them  that  are  in- 
corporated, and  the  inflowing  of  the  Holy  Spirit  into  this  body, 
and  principally  in  the  persons  of  the  apostles,  took  place  on  Pente- 
cost, therefore  no  one  can  receive  at  the  present  time  any  spiritual 
gift  or  influence  of  the  Holy  Spirit  unless  he  stands  in  vital  con- 
nection with  the  body  of  the  Lord ;  and  that  body  is  unthinkable 
without  the  apostles. 


THE   APOSTOLATE  143 

In  fact,  the  apostolic  Word  comes  to  the  soul  to-day  as  the  testi- 
mony of  what  they  have  seen  and  heard  and  handled  of  the  Word 
of  Life.  By  virtue  of  this  testimony  souls  are  inwardly  wrought 
upon,  and  by  their  being  incorporated  into  the  body  of  Christ  they 
become  manifest.  And  this  fellowship  becomes  manifest  as  a  fel- 
lowship with  the  very  body  of  which  the  apostles  are  the  leaders, 
in  whose  persons  and  in  the  persons  of  whose  associates  the  Holy 
Spirit  was  poured  out  on  the  day  of  Pentecost. 

We  know  that  this  view,  or  this  confession  rather,  is  in  direct 
opposition  to  the  view  of  Methodism,*  which  has  pervaded  all  classes 
and  conditions  of  men.  And  the  deplorable  results  have  become 
apparent  in  various  ways.  Methodism  has  killed  the  conscious  ap- 
preciation of  the  sacrament;  it  is  cold  and  indifferent  toward 
church  fellowship ;  it  has  cultivated  an  unlimited  disregard  for  truth 
in  the  confession.!  And  while  the  Lord  our  God  has  deemed  it 
necessary  to  give  us  a  voluminous  Holy  Scripture,  consisting  of 
six-and-sixty  books,  Methodism  has  boasted  that  it  could  write  its 
Gospel  upon  a  dime. 

This  error  can  not  be  overcome  except  the  Word  of  God  become 
again  our  Teacher  and  we  its  docile  scholars.  And  then  we  shall 
learn — 

(i)  Not  that  a  few  isolated  persons  are  being  rescued  from  the 
floods  of  iniquity,  but  that  a  body  will  be  redeemed. 

(2)  That  all  that  are  to  be  saved  will  be  incorporated  into  that 
body. 

(3)  That  this  body  has  Christ  as  its  Head  and  the  apostles  as  its 
permanent  leaders. 

(4)  That  on  Pentecost  the  Holy  Spirit  was  poured  out  into  that 
body. 

(5)  That  even  now  each  of  us  experiences  the  gracious  opera- 
tions of  the  Holy  Spirit  only  through  fellowship  with  this  body. 

Only  when  these  things  are  clear  to  the  soul,  the  glorious  word 
of  Christ,  "  Father,  I  pray  not  for  these  alone,  but  for  them  also 
which  shall  believe  on  Me  through  their  word"  will  be  well  under- 

*  See  section  5  in  the  Preface. — Trans. 

f  The  truth  of  this  is  apparent  in  the  Salvation  Army,  the  latest  expo- 
nent of  Methodism.  It  denies  the  sacraments,  stands  isolated  from  the 
churches,  and  does  not  seem  to  care  for  truth  in  the  confession,  for  it  has 
no  confession. — Trans. 


144  THE   APOSTOLATE 

stood.  Taken  in  the  current  sense,  this  word  has  not  the  least 
comfort  for  us ;  for  then  the  Lord  has  prayed  only  for  these  then 
living,  who  had  the  privilege  of  personally  hearing  the  apostles, 
and  who  were  converted  by  their  verbal  testimony.  We  are  entirely 
excluded.  But  if  this  petition  be  taken  in  the  sense  indicated  above, 
as  tho  Christ  would  say,  "  I  pray  not  for  My  apostles  alone,  but  also 
for  them  who  through  their  testimony  shall  believe  on  Me,  now  and 
in  all  ages  and  lands  and  nations,"  then  it  acquires  widest  scope, 
and  contains  a  prayer  for  every  child  of  God  called  even  now  and 
from  our  own  households. 

This  unique  significance  of  the  apostolate  is  so  deeply  embedded 
in  the  heart  of  the  Kingdom,  that  when  in  the  Revelation  of  St. 
John  we  get  a  glimpse  of  the  New  Jerusalem,  we  see  that  the  city 
has  twelve  foundations,  and  on  them  the  names  of  the  twelve  apostles 
of  the  Lamb — Rev.  xxi.  14.  Hence  their  significance  is  not  tran- 
sient and  temporary,  but  permanent  and  including  the  whole 
Church.  And  when  its  warfare  shall  be  ended  and  the  glory  of 
the  New  Jerusalem  shall  be  revealed,  even  then,  in  its  heavenly 
bliss,  the  Church  shall  rest  upon  the  very  foundation  on  which  it 
was  built  here,  and  therefore  bear,  engraven  on  its  twelve  founda- 
tions, the  names  of  the  holy  apostles  of  the  Lord. 

The  apostle  Paul  considers  the  apostolate  so  glorious  and  ex- 
alted that  in  his  Epistle  to  the  Hebrews  he  applies  the  name  of 
Apostle  to  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ.  "  Wherefore,  holy  brethren,  par- 
takers of  the  heavenly  calling,  consider  the  Apostle  and  High  Priest 
of  our  profession,  Christ  Jesus."  The  meaning  is  perfectly  clear. 
Properly  speaking,  it  is  Christ  Himself  calling  and  testifying  in  His 
Church.  But  as  the  white  ray  of  light  divides  itself  into  many 
colors,  so  does  Christ  impart  Himself  to  His  twelve  apostles,  whom 
He  has  set  as  the  instruments  through  whom  He  has  fellowship 
with  His  Church.  Hence  the  apostles  stand  not  each  by  himself, 
but  together  they  constitute  the  apostolate,  the  unity  of  which  is 
found  not  in  St.  Peter  nor  in  St.  Paul,  but  in  Christ.  If  we  should 
wish  to  comprehend  the  whole  apostolate  in  one,  it  must  be  He  in 
whom  is  contained  the  fulness  of  the  twelve — the  Apostle  and  High 
Priest  of  our  profession,  Christ  the  Lord. 

Not  until  we  fully  grasp  these  thoughts  and  live  in  them  shall 
we  be  able  to  understand  the  epistles  of  St.  Paul,  and  appreciate 
his  spiritual  conflict  to  maintain  the  honor  of  the  apostolate  for  his 
divine  mission.     Especially  in  his  epistles  to  the  Corinthians  and 


THE   APOSTOLATE  145 

Galatians  he  sustains  this  conflict  bravely  and  eflfectually ;  but  in 
such  a  way  that  the  Methodist  can  not  have  eye  or  ear  for  it.  He 
rather  feels  like  deploring  the  apostle's  zeal,  saying:  "  If  Paul  had 
insisted  less  on  his  title  and  more  humbly  applied  himself  to  the 
conversion  of  souls,  his  memory  would  have  been  much  more 
precious."  And  from  his  standpoint  he  is  quite  right.  If  the  apos- 
tolate  has  no  higher  significance  than  to  be  the  first  teachers  and 
ministers  of  the  Church,  then  there  can  be  no  reason  why  St.  Paul 
should  waste  his  strength  contending  for  a  meaningless  title. 

But  the  undeniable  fact  that  St.  Paul's  energetic  contending 
agrees  not  with  the  current  opinions  of  the  present  time  ought  to 
make  us  oppose  the  notion  that,  since  his  contention  does  not  com- 
port with  our  opinions,  he  must  be  wrong!  and  acknowledge  that 
the  standpoint  which  we  can  not  occupy  without  condemning  the 
apostle  must  be  abandoned — the  sooner  the  better.  St.  Paul  must 
not  conform  himself  to  our  opinions,  but  our  opinions  must  be 
modified  or  altered  according  to  St.  Paul's. 
10 


XXX. 
The  Apostolic  Scriptures. 

"  And  I  think  that  I  also  have  the 
Spirit  of  God." — i  Cor.  vii.  40. 

We  have  seen  that  the  apostolate  has  an  extraordinary  signifi- 
cance and  occupies  a  unique  position.  This  position  is  twofold, 
viz.,  temporary,  with  reference  to  the  founding  of  the  first  churches, 
and  permanent,  with  regard  to  the  churches  of  all  ages. 

The  first  must  necessarily  be  temporary,  for  what  was  then  ac- 
complished can  not  be  repeated.  A  tree  can  be  planted  only  once ; 
an  organism  can  be  born  only  once ;  the  planting  or  founding  of  the 
Church  could  take  place  only  once.  However,  this  founding  was 
not  unprepared  for.  On  the  contrary,  God  has  had  a  Church  in  the 
world  from  the  beginning.  That  Church  was  even  a  7£'^r/</-Church. 
But  it  went  down  in  idolatry ;  and  only  a  small  Church  remained 
among  an  almost  unknown  people — the  Church  in  Israel.  When  this 
particular  Church  was  to  become  again  a  world-Church,  two  things 
were  required : 

First,  that  the  Church  in  Israel  lay  aside  its  national  dress.- 

Secondly,  that  in  the  midst  of  the  heathen  world  the  Church  of 
Christ  appear,  so  that  the  two  might  become  manifest  as  the  one 
Christian  Church. 

By  these  two  things  the  apostolic  labor  is  almost  exhausted.  In 
St.  Paul  the  two  are  united.  No  apostle  labored  more  zealously  to 
divest  the  Church  of  Israel  of  its  Jewish  attire,  and  no  one  was  more 
abundant  in  the  planting  of  new  churches  in  all  parts  of  the  world. 

The  apostolate  had,  however,  a  much  more  extensive  and  higher 
calling,  not  only  for  those  days,  but  also  for  the  Church  of  the  ages. 
It  was  the  task  of  the  apostles  for  which  they  were  ordained :  by 
giving  to  the  churches  fixed  forms  of  government  to  determine 
their  character ;  and  by  the  written  documentation  of  the  revela- 
tion of  Christ  Jesus  to  secure  to  them  purity  and  perpetuity. 

This  is  evident  from  the  character  of  their  labors :  for  they  not 


THE   APOSTOLIC   SCRIPTURES.  147 

only  founded  churches,  but  also  gave  them  ordinances.  St.  Paul 
writes  to  the  Corinthians :  "  As  I  have  given  order  to  the  churches 
of  Galatia,  even  so  do  ye"  (i  Cor.  xvi.  i).  Hence  they  were  con- 
scious of  possessing  power,  of  being  clothed  with  authority.  "  And 
so  ordain  I  in  all  the  churches,"  says  the  same  apostle  (i  Cor.  vii. 
17).  This  ordaining  is  not  like  that  of  our  official  church  boards 
which  have  power  to  make  rules ;  or  as  a  minister  in  the  name  of 
the  consistory  announces  from  the  pulpit  certain  regulations.  Nay, 
the  apostles  exercised  authority  by  virtue  of  a  power  they  consciously 
possessed  in  themselves,  independent  of  any  church  or  church 
council.  For  St.  Paul  writes,  after  having  given  ordinances  in  the 
matter  of  marriages:  "And  I  think  that  I  also  have  the  Spirit  of 
God."  Hence  the  power  and  authority  to  command,  to  ordain  and 
to  judge  in  the  churches,  they  derived  not  from  the  Church,  nor 
from  church  council,  nor  from  the  apostolate,  but  directly  from  the 
Holy  Spirit.  This  is  true  even  of  the  power  to  judge ;  for,  concern- 
ing an  incestuous  person  in  the  church  of  Corinth,  St.  Paul  judged 
that  he  should  be  delivered  to  Satan ;  the  execution  of  which  sen- 
tence he  left  to  the  elders  of  that  church,  but  upon  which  he  had 
determined  by  virtue  of  his  apostolic  authority — i  Cor.  v,  3. 

In  this  connection  it  is  remarkable  that  St.  Paul  was  conscious 
of  a  twofold  current  running  through  his  word :  (i)  that  of  traditioti, 
touching  the  things  ordained  by  the  Lord  Jesus  during  His  min- 
istry ;  and  (2)  that  of  the  Holy  Spirit,  touching  the  things  to  be  de- 
cided by  the  apostolate.  For  he  writes :  "  Now  concerning  virgins, 
I  have  no  commandment  of  the  Lord;  yet  I  give  my  judgment  as 
one  that  hath  obtained  mercy  of  the  Lord  to  be  faithful"  (i  Cor. 
vii.  25).  And  again  he  saith:  "Unto  the  married  I  command,  yet 
not  I,  but  the  Lord,  Let  not  the  wife  depart  from  her  husband" 
(ver.  10).  And  in  verse  12  he  saith :  "  But  to  the  rest  speak  I,  not  the 
Lord."  Many  have  received  the  impression  that  St.  Paul  meant  to 
say :  "  What  the  Lord  commanded,  you  must  keep ;  but  the  things 
by  me  enjoined  are  of  less  account  and  not  binding"; — a  view  de- 
stroying the  authority  of  the  apostolic  word,  and  therefore  to  be  re- 
jected. The  apostle  has  not  the  least  intention  of  undermining  his 
own  authority ;  for  having  delivered  the  message,  he  adds  expressly : 
"  And  I  think  that  I  also  have  the  Spirit  of  God  ";  which,  in  connec- 
tion with  the  commandment  of  the  Lord,  can  not  mean  anything 
else  than  this :  "  That  which  I  have  enjoined  rests  upon  the  same 
authority  as  the  Lord's  own  words";— a  declaration  which  was  al- 


148  THE   APOSTOLATE 

ready  contained  in  the  word:  "I  have  received  mercy  to  be  faith- 
ful," i.e.,  in  my  work  of  regulating  the  churches. 

By  these  ordinances  and  regulations  the  apostles  not  only  gave 
to  the  churches  of  those  days  a  fixed  form  of  life,  but  they  also  pre- 
pared the  channel  that  was  to  determine  the  future  course  of  the  life 
of  the  Church.     They  did  this  in  two  ways : 

First,  partly  by  the  impressions  they  made  upon  the  life  of  the 
churches,  and  which  were  never  wholly  obliterated. 

Secondly,  partly  also  and  more  particularly  by  leaving  us  in 
writing  the  image  of  that  Church,  and  by  sealing  the  principal 
features  of  these  ordinances  in  their  apostolic  epistles. 

Both  these  influences,  that  directly  on  the  life  of  the  churches, 
and  that  of  the  apostolic  Scriptures,  have  taken  care  that  the  image 
of  the  Church  should  not  be  lost,  and  that,  where  it  was  in  danger 
of  such  loss,  by  the  grace  of  God  it  should  be  fully  restored. 

This  leads  us  to  consider  the  second  activity  of  the  apostles, 
whereby  they  operated  upon  the  Church  of  all  ages,  viz.,  the  in- 
heritance of  their  writings. 

Our  writings  are  the  richest  and  raaturest  products  of  the  mind ; 
and  the  mind  of  the  Holy  Spirit  received  its  richest,  fullest,  and 
most  perfect  expression  when  His  meaning  was  put  into  documental 
form.  The  literary  labor  of  the  apostles  deserves,  therefore,  careful 
attention. 

When  the  apostles  Peter  and  Paul  preached  the  Gospel,  healed 
the  sick,  judged  the  unruly,  and  founded  churches,  giving  them 
ordinances,  they  performed  in  each  of  these  a  great  and  glorious 
work.  And  yet  the  significance  of  St.  Paul's  labor  when  he  wrote, 
e.g.,  the  Epistle  to  the  Romans  so  far  surpassed  the  value  of  preach- 
ing and  healing  that  the  two  can  not  be  compared.  When  he  wrote 
that  one  little  book,  which  in  ordinary  pamphlet  form  would  make 
no  more  than  three  sheets  of  printed  matter,  he  performed  the 
greatest  work  of  his  life.  From  this  little  book  the  most  far-reach- 
ing influences  have  gone  forth.  By  this  one  little  book  St.  Paul 
became  a  historic  person. 

We  know,  indeed,  that  many  of  our  present  theologians  reverse 
this  order,  and  say :  "  These  apostles  were  profoundly  spiritual  men ; 
they  lived  near  the  Lord  and  had  entered  deeply  into  the  mind  of 
Christ;  they  labored  and  preached  and  occasionally  wrote  a  few 
letters,  some  of  which  have  come  down  to  us;  yet  this  letter-wri- 


THE   APOSTOLIC   SCRIPTURES.  149 

ting  was  of  little  significance  to  their  persons  ';  but  against  this 
whole  representation  we  protest  with  all  our  might.  Nay,  these 
men  were  not  such  excellent  personalities  that  the  few  occasional 
letters  from  their  hands  could  scarcely  have  any  significance  in 
their  lives.  On  the  contrary,  their  epistolary  labor  was  the  most 
important  of  all  their  lifework ;  small  in  compass,  but  rich  in  con- 
tent; apparently  of  less,  but  by  virtue  of  its  comprehensive  and 
far-reaching  influence  of  much  higher  significance.  And  since  the 
apostles  may  not  be  considered  half-idiots,  knowing  scarcely  any- 
thing of  the  future  of  the  Church,  and  without  any  realization  of 
what  they  were  doing,  we  maintain  that  a  man  like  St.  Paul,  hav- 
ing finished  his  Epistle  to  the  Romans,  was  indeed  conscious  of  the 
fact  that  this  work  would  occupy  a  prominent  place  among  his 
apostolic  labors. 

Even  tho  it  be  granted  that  the  apostle  was  unconscious  of  it, 
yet  this  alters  not  the  fact.  To-day,  when  the  churches  founded 
eighteen  centuries  ago  have  all  past  away,  and  the  church  of  Rome 
can  scarcely  be  recognized ;  when  the  people  who  by  his  wonderful 
power  were  healed  or  saved  have  all  crumbled  to  dust,  and  not  a 
single  memory  remains  of  all  his  other  toil;  to-day  his  epistolary 
inheritance  still  governs  the  Church  of  Christ. 

We  can  not  conceive  what  the  condition  of  the  Church  would  be 
without  St.  Paul's  epistles;  if  we  were  to  lose  the  inheritance  of  the 
great  apostle  that  has  come  to  us  through  our  fathers.  What  is  it 
that  controls  our  confession,  if  not  the  truths  developed  by  him ; 
what  is  it  that  governs  our  lives,  if  not  the  ideals  so  highly  exalted 
by  him?  We  can  safely  say,  with  reference  to  our  own  Church,  that 
without  the  Pauline  epistles  its  whole  form  and  appearance  would 
be  totally  different. 

This  being  so,  we  are  also  justified  in  saying  that  the  objectify- 
ing of  Christian  truth  in  the  apostolic  epistles  is  the  most  important 
of  all  their  labors.  Instead  of  calling  it  a  "  dead-letter,"  we  confess 
that  in  it  their  activity  reached  its  very  zenith. 

However,  the  peculiar  work  of  the  Holy  Spirit  in  the  apostolate 
being  the  subject  of  our  present  inquiry,  and  not  the  apostolate 
itself,  we  will  consider  now  the  serious  question  :  What  is  the  nature 
of  this  work? 

Our  choice  lies  between  the  theory  of  the  mechanical,  and  that  of 
the  natural,  process. 


I50  THE   APOSTOLATE 

The  supporters  of  the  first  say :  "  Nothing  can  be  more  simple 
than  the  work  of  the  Holy  Spirit  in  the  apostles.  They  had  only  to 
sit  down,  take  pen  and  ink,  and  write  at  His  dictation."  The  ad- 
vocates of  the  natural  process  state  its  case  as  follows:  "  The  apos- 
tles had  entered  more  deeply  into  the  mind  of  Christ;  they  were 
holier,  purer,  and  more  godly  than  others ;  hence  they  were  better 
fitted  to  be  the  instruments  of  the  Holy  Spirit,  who  after  all  ani- 
mates every  child  of  God."  These  are  the  extreme  views.  On  the 
one  hand,  the  work  of  the  Holy  Spirit  is  considered  as  a  foreign  ele- 
ment introduced  into  the  life  of  the  Church  and  that  of  the  apostles. 
Any  schoolboy  competent  to  write  a  dictation  might  have  written 
the  Epistle  to  the  Romans  just  as  well  as  St.  Paul.  The  obvious 
difference  of  style  and  manner  of  presentation  between  his  epistles 
and  those  of  St.  John  does  not  spring  from  the  difference  of  person- 
alities, but  from  the  fact  that  the  Holy  Spirit  purposely  adopted  the 
style  and  way  of  speaking  of  His  chosen  scribe,  be  he  St.  Paul  or  St. 
John. 

The  other  extreme  considers  that  the  persons  of  the  apostles  ac- 
count for  the  whole  matter ;  so  that  to  speak  of  a  work  of  the  Holy 
Spirit  is  only  to  repeat  a  pious  term.  According  to  this  view,  the 
influence  of  Christ's  personal  intercourse  had  an  educating  effect 
upon  His  disciples,  which  left  such  impress  of  His  life  upon  them 
that  they  could  understand  His  Person  and  aims  much  better  than 
others;  hence  being  the  best-developed  minds  of  the  Christian  cir- 
cle of  those  days,  they  adopted  in  their  writings  a  certain  apostolic 
authority. 

Besides  these  two  extremes,  we  must  mention  the  view  of  cer- 
tain friendly  theologians  who  turn  this  natural  into  a  supernatural, 
but  still  self-developed,  process.  They  acknowledge,  with  us,  that 
there  is  a  work  of  the  Holy  Spirit  which  they  also  call  regeneration, 
and  allow  that  to  this  the  gift  of  illumination  is  often  added.  And 
from  this  they  argue :  "  Among  the  regenerated  there  are  some  in 
whom  this  divine  work  is  only  superficial,  and  others  in  whom  He 
operates  more  deeply.  In  the  former,  the  gift  of  illumination  is 
undeveloped;  in  the  latter,  it  attains  great  luster;  and  it  is  to  this 
class  that  the  apostles  belonged,  who  were  partakers  of  this  gift  in 
its  highest  degree.  Owing  to  these  two  gifts,  the  work  of  the  Holy 
Spirit  attained  in  them  such  clearness  and  transparency  that,  in 
speaking  or  writing  concerning  the  things  of  the  Kingdom  of  God, 
they  struck  almost  invariably  the  right  note,  chose  the  right  word, 


THE   APOSTOLIC    SCRIPTURES  151 

and  continued  in  the  right  direction.     Hence  the  power  of  their 
writings,  and  the  almost  binding  authority  of  their  word." 

Over  against  these  three  opponents  we  wish  to  present  the  view 
of  the  best  theologians  of  the  Christian  Church,  which,  altho  fully 
appreciating  the  effects  of  regeneration  and  illumination  in  the 
apostles,  still  maintain  that  from  these  the  infallible,  apostolic 
authority  can  not  be  explained ;  and  that  the  authority  of  their  word 
is  recognized  only  by  the  unconditional  confession  that  these  oper- 
ations of  grace  were  but  the  means  used  by  the  Holy  Spirit  when, 
through  the  apostles,  He  cast  His  own  testimony  into  documental 
forms  for  the  Church  of  all  ages. 


XXXI. 
Apostolic  Inspiration. 

"When  He,  the  Spirit  of  truth,  is 
come.  He  will  guide  you  into  all 
truth."— yc?/i«xvi.  13. 

What  is  the  nature  of  the  work  of  the  Holy  Spirit  in  the  inspi- 
ration of  the  apostles? 

Apart  from  the  mechanical  and  natural  theories,  which  are  vul- 
gar and  profane,  there  are  two  others,  viz.,  the  Ethical  and  the  Re- 
formed. 

According  to  the  former  the  inspiration  of  the  apostles  differs 
from  the  animation  of  believers  only  in  degree,  not  in  nature. 
They  represent  the  matter  as  tho,  by  the  incarnation  of  the  Word, 
a  new  sphere  of  life  was  created  which  they  call  the  "  God-hufnan." 
They  that  have  received  the  life  of  this  higher  sphere  are  called 
believers ,  others  are  unbelievers.  In  these  believers  the  conscious- 
ness is  gradually  changed,  illuminated,  and  sanctified.  Hence 
they  see  things  in  a  different  light,  i.e.,  their  eyes  are  opened  so 
that  they  see  much  of  the  spiritual  world  of  which  unbelievers  see 
nothing.  However,  this  result  is  not  the  same  in  all  believers. 
The  more  favored  see  more  correctly  and  distinctly  than  the  less 
favored.  And  the  most  excellent  among  them,  who  possess  this 
God-human  life  most  abundantly,  and  look  into  the  things  of  the 
Kingdom  with  greatest  clearness  and  distinctness,  are  the  men 
called  apostles.  Hence  the  inspiration  of  the  apostles  and  the 
illumination  of  believers  are  in  principle  the  same ;  differing  only 
in  degree. 

The  Reformed  churches  can  not  agree  with  this  view.  In  their 
judgment  the  very  effort  to  identify  apostolic  inspiration  with  the 
illumination  of  believers  actually  annihilates  the  former.  They 
hold  that  the  inspiration  of  the  apostles  was  wholly  unique  in  nature 
and  kind,  totally  different  from  what  the  Scripture  calls  illumina- 
tion of  believers.     The  apostles  possessed  this  latter  g^ft  even  in  its 


APOSTOLIC    INSPIRATION  153 

highest  degree,  and  we  heartily  indorse  all  that  the  Ethical  theolo- 
gians say  in  this  respect.  But,  when  all  is  said,  we  hold  that  apos- 
tolic inspiration  is  not  even  touched  upon ;  that  it  lies  entirely  out- 
side of  it;  is  not  contained  in,  but  added  to,  it;  and  that  the  Church 
must  reverence  it  as  an  extraordinary,  peculiar,  and  unique  work 
of  the  Holy  Spirit,  which  was  wrought  exclusively  in  the  holy  apos- 
tles. 

Hence  both  sides  concede  that  the  apostles  were  born  again,  that 
they  had  received  illumination  in  a  peculiarly  high  degree.  But 
while  the  Ethical  theorists  maintain  that  this  extraordinary  illumi- 
nation includes  inspiration,  the  Reformed  hold  that  illumination  in 
its  highest  degree  has  nothing  to  do  with  inspiration ;  which  was 
unique  in  its  kind,  without  equal,  given  to  the  apostles  alone,  never 
to  other  believers. 

The  difference  between  the  two  views  is  obvious. 

According  to  the  Ethical  view,  the  epistles  are  the  writings  of 
very  worthy,  godly,  and  sanctified  men ;  the  thoughtful  utterances 
of  highly  enlightened  believers.  And  yet,  having  said  all  this, 
they  are  after  all  only  fallible ;  they  may  contain  ninety  per  cent, 
of  truth,  well  expressed  and  accurately  defined ;  but  the  possibility 
remains  that  the  other  ten  per  cent,  is  full  of  errors  and  mistakes. 
Even  tho  there  be  one  or  more  infallible  epistles,  how  can  this 
avail  us,  since  we  do  not  know  it?  In  fact,  we  are  without  the  least 
certainty  in  this  matter.  And  for  this  reason  it  is  actually  conceded 
that  the  apostles  have  made  mistakes. 

Hence  the  Reformed  churches  can  not  accept  this  fascinating 
representation ;  and  the  conscience  of  believers  will  always  protest 
against  it.  What  we  expect  in  "  holy  apostces'  is  this  very  certainty, 
reliability,  and  decision.  Reading  their  testimony,  we  want  to  rely 
upon  it.  This  certainty  alone  has  been  the  strength  of  the  Church 
of  all  ages.  This  conviction  alone  has  given  her  rest.  And  the 
Church  of  to-day  feels  as  instinctively  that  the  reliability  of  the 
Word  that  is  its  Bible  is  being  taken  away  from  it,  inasmuch  as 
these  beautifully  sounding  theories  strip  the  apostolic  word  of  its 
infallibility. 

The  holy  apostles  appear  in  their  writings  as  such,  and  not  other- 
wise. St.  John,  the  most  beloved  among  the  twelve,  testifies  that 
the  Lord  Jesus  gave  them  as  apostles  a  rare  promise,  saying,  "  He 
shall  guide  you  into  all  truth,"  a  word  that  may  not  be  applied  to 


154  THE   APOSTOLATE 

others,  but  to  the  apostles  exclusively.  And  again :  "  The  Com- 
forter which  is  the  Holy  Ghost  shall  teach  you  all  things,  and  bring 
to  your  remembrance  all  things  whatsoever  I  have  said  unto  you" 
(John  xiv.  26) ;  which  promise  was  not  intended  for  all,  but  for  the 
apostles  only,  securing  them  a  gift  evidently  distinct  from  illumi- 
nation. In  fact,  this  promise  was  nothing  else  than  the  permanent 
endowment  with  the  gift  received  only  temporarily  when  they  went 
forth  on  their  first  mission  among  Israel:  "For  it  is  not  you  that 
speak,  but  the  Spirit  of  your  Father  which  speaketh  in  you." 

Moreover,  the  Lord  Jesus  did  not  only  promise  them  that  the 
word  proceeding  from  their  mouth  would  be  a  word  of  the  Holy 
Spirit,  but  He  granted  them  such  personal  power  and  authority 
that  it  would  be  as  tho  God  Himself  spoke  through  them.  St.  Paul 
testified  of  this  to  the  church  of  Thessalonica,  saying:  "  P^or  this 
cause  we  thank  God  that  ye  received  it  not  as  the  word  of  men,  but, 
as  it  is  in  truth,  the  Word  of  God"  (i  Thess.  ii.  13).  And  St.  John 
tells  us  that,  both  before  and  after  the  resurrection,  the  Lord  Jesus 
gave  His  disciples  power  to  bind  on  earth  in  the  sense  that  their  word 
would  have  binding  power  forever:  "Whosesoever  sins  ye  remit, 
they  are  remitted  unto  them;  and  whosesoever  sins  ye  retain,  they 
are  retained"; — words  that  are  horrible  and  untenable  except  they 
be  understood  as  implying  perfect  agreement  between  the  minds  of 
the  apostles  and  the  mind  of  God.  Of  similar  import  are  the  words 
of  Christ  to  Peter:  "  Whatsoever  thou  shalt  bind  on  earth  shall  be 
bound  in  heaven ;  and  whatsoever  thou  shalt  loose  on  earth  shall  be 
loosed  in  heaven." 

However,  reading  and  pondering  these  remarkable  and  weighty 
words,  let  us  be  careful  not  to  fall  into  the  error  of  Rome,  or,  in 
order  to  escape  from  this,  make  the  Word  of  God  of  no  effect,  which 
is  equally  dangerous.  For  the  Church  of  Rome  applies  these  words 
of  Jesus  to  His  disciples,  to  the  whole  Church  as  an  institution; 
especially  the  word  to  Peter,  making  it  to  refer  to  all  Peter's  suc- 
cessors (so-called)  in  the  government  of  the  Church  of  Rome.  If 
that  be  indeed  the  meaning  of  these  words,  then  Rome  is  perfectly 
right;  then  to  the  Pope  is  granted  power  to  bind,  and  the  priests  of 
Rome  have  still  the  power  to  absolve.  Our  reason  for  denying 
that  Rome  has  this  power  is  not  the  impossibility  for  men  to  have 
it,  for  it  was  given  to  the  apostles;  Peter  was  infallible  in  his  sen- 
tences ex  cathedra,  and  the  apostles  could  grant  absolution.     But  wf 


APOSTOLIC    INSPIRATION  155 

deny  that  Rome  has  the  slightest  authority  to  confer  this  power  of 
Peter  upon  the  Pope,  or  that  of  the  apostles  upon  its  priests.  Nei- 
ther Matt.  xvi.  19  nor  John  xx.  23  contains  the  least  proof  for  such 
claim.  And  inasmuch  as  no  man  has  the  liberty  to  exercise  such 
extraordinary  power  except  he  can  show  the  credentials  of  his  mis- 
sion, so  we  deny  Rome's  qualifications  to  exercise  it  in  pope  or 
priest,  not  because  this  is  impossible,  but  because  Rome  can  not 
substantiate  its  claims. 

At  the  same  time,  let  us,  in  our  contending  with  Rome,  not  fall 
into  the  opposite  error  of  disparaging  the  plain  and  clear  meaning 
of  the  word.  This  is  done  by  the  Ethical  theologians;  for  the 
words  of  Jesus  referred  to  do  not  receive  justice  so  long  as  we  re- 
fuse to  recognize  in  the  apostles  a  working  of  the  Holy  Spirit  en- 
tirely peculiar,  unique,  and  extraordinary.  We  dilute  the  words  of 
Jesus  and  violate  their  sense  so  long  as  we  do  not  acknowledge 
that,  if  the  apostles  were  still  living,  they  would  have  the  power  to 
forgive  us  our  sins;  and  that  Peter,  if  he  were  still  living,  would 
have  power  and  authority  to  issue  ordinances  binding  upon  the 
whole  Church.  The  words  are  so  plain,  the  qualification  was 
granted  in  such  definite  terms,  that  it  can  not  be  denied  that  John 
could  forgive  sin,  and  that  Peter  had  power  to  issue  an  infallible 
decree.  The  Lord  said  to  the  disciples :  "  Whosesoever  sins  ye  remit, 
they  are  remitted  unto  them  " ;  and  to  Peter :  "  Whatsoever  thou 
shalt  bind  on  earth  shall  be  bound  in  heaven." 

Thus  acknowledging  the  unique  position  and  extraordinary 
power  of  the  apostles,  we  immediately  add  that  this  power  was 
granted  to  them  alone  and  to  no  one  else. 

We  emphasize  this  in  opposition  to  Rome  and  to  those  who  apply 
the  words  of  Christ,  spoken  to  His  disciples  exclusively,  to  minis- 
ters and  other  believers.  Neither  Rome  nor  the  Ethical  theologians 
have  the  right  to  do  this,  unless  they  can  show  that  the  Lord  Jesus 
gave  them  such  right.  But  they  never  can.  Care  should  be  taken, 
therefore,  in  the  choice  of  texts,  proofs,  and  quotations  from  the 
Scripture,  to  ascertain  not  only  what  is  said,  but  also  to  whom 
it  was  said.  And  thus  the  error  concerning  the  apostolate  will 
soon  be  overcome;  and  believers  will  see  that  the  apostles  oc- 
cupy a  different  position  from  other  Christians,  that  the  promises 
quoted  bear  an  exceptional  character,  and  that  the  Word  of  the  Lord 
is  misunderstood  when  inspiration  is  confounded  with  illumina- 
tion. 


156  THE   APOSTOLATE 

In  opposition  to  these  wrong  views,  which  are  Romish,  clerical 
in  principle,  and  at  the  same  time  strongly  tending  to  rationalism, 
we  maintain  the  ancient  confession  of  the  Christian  Church  which 
declares  that,  as  the  ambassadors  extraordinary  of  Christ,  the  apos- 
tles occupied  a  unique  position  in  the  race,  in  the  Church,  and  in 
the  history  of  the  world,  and  were  clothed  with  extraordinary  pow- 
ers that  required  an  extraordinary  operation  of  the  Holy  Spirit. 

But  we  do  not  deny  that  these  men  were  bom  again  and  parta- 
kers of  the  heavenly  illumination ;  so  that  the  man  of  sin  was  driven 
back,  and  the  new  man  was  powerfully  revealed  in  them.  But 
their  personal  state  and  condition  was  the  cause  of  their  contin- 
ued sinfulness  until  the  hour  of  their  death;  hence  their  infallible 
authority  could  never  spring  from  the  fallible  condition  of  their 
hearts.  Even  tho  they  had  been  less  sinful,  such  power  could  not 
be  thus  accounted  for.  And  if  they  had  fallen  more  deeply  into 
sin,  it  would  not  have  hindered  the  Holy  Spirit's  operation  with 
reference  to  the  exercise  of  this  authority.  It  is  remarkable  that 
Peter,  who  was  clothed  with  the  highest  power,  fell  again  and  again 
into  great  sin.  They  were  saints  because  they  were  hid  in  Christ 
like  other  Christians ;  but  they  were  holy  apostles  not  on  the  ground 
of  their  spiritual  state  and  condition,  but  only  by  virtue  of  their 
holy  calling  and  the  working  of  the  Holy  Spirit  that  was  prom- 
ised and  given  unto  them. 

Finally,  the  question  arises,  whether  there  was  a  difference  be- 
tween the  operation  of  the  Holy  Spirit  in  the  pi'ophets  and  in  the 
apostles.  We  answer  in  the  affirmative.  Ezekiel's  oracles  are 
different  from  St.  John's  Gospel.  The  Epistle  to  the  Romans  bears 
witness  to  a  different  inspiration  from  that  of  the  prophecies  of 
Zacharias.  Undoubtedly  the  book  of  Revelation  proves  that  the 
apostles  were  also  susceptible  to  inspiration  by  visions;  the  book 
of  the  Acts  is  evidence  that  in  those  days  there  were  also  wonder- 
ful signs;  and  St.  Paul  speaks  of  visions  and  ecstasies.  And  yet  the 
collective  treasure  that  came  down  to  us  under  the  apostles*  name 
bears  evidence  that  the  inspiration  of  the  New  Testament  has  an- 
other character  than  that  of  the  Old.  And  the  principal  difference 
consists  in  the  mighty  fact  of  the  outpouring  of  the  Holy  Spirit. 

The  prophets  were  inspired  before  Pentecost,  and  the  apostles 
after  it.  This  fact  is  so  strongly  marked  in  the  history  of  their 
mission  that  before  it  the  apostles  sit  still,  while  immediately 
after  it  they  appear  in  their  apostolic  character  before  the  world. 


APOSTOLIC    INSPIRATION  157 

And  since  in  the  outpouring  the  Holy  Spirit  came  to  dwell  in  the 
body  of  Christ,  which  before  He  had  been  preparing,  it  is  obvious 
that  the  difference  of  inspiration  in  the  Old  and  the  New  Testa- 
ment consists  in  the  fact  that  the  former  was  wrought  upon  the 
prophets  from  without,  while  the  latter  wrought  upon  the  apostles 
from  within,  proceeding  from  the  body  of  Christ. 

And  this  is  the  reason  that  the  prophets  give  us  more  or  less  the 
impression  of  an  inspiration  independent  of  their  personal,  spiritual 
life,  while  the  inspiration  of  the  apostles  acts  almost  always  through 
the  life  of  the  soul.  It  is  this  very  fact  that  offers  to  the  error  of 
the  Ethical  view  its  starting-point.  Surely  the  person  and  his  con- 
dition appear  in  the  apostles  much  more  in  the  foreground  than  in 
the  prophets.  And  yet  in  both  prophet  and  apostle  inspiration  is 
that  wholly  extraordinary  operation  of  the  Holy  Spirit  whereby,  in 
a  manner  for  us  incomprehensible  and  to  them  not  always  con- 
scious, they  were  kept  from  the  possibility  ot  error. 


XXXII. 
Apostles  To-Day? 

"  Am  I  not  an  apostle  ?  am  I  not  free  ? 
have  I  not  seen  Jesus  Christ  our 
Lord  ?  are  ye  not  my  work  in  the 
Lord?" — I  Cor.  ix.  i. 

We  may  not  take  leave  of  the  apostolate  without  a  last  look  at 
the  circle  of  its  members.  It  is  a  closed  circle ;  and  every  effort  to 
reopen  it  tends  to  efface  a  characteristic  of  the  New  Covenant. 

And  yet  the  effort  is  being  made  again  and  again.  We  see  it  in 
Rome's  apostolic  succession;  in  the  Ethical  view  gradually  effacing 
the  boundary-line  between  the  apostles  and  believers;  and  in  its 
boldest  and  most  concrete  form  among  the  Irvingites.* 

The  latter  assert  not  only  that  the  Lord  gave  to  His  Church  a 
college  of  apostles  in  the  beginning,  but  that  He  has  now  called 
a  body  of  apostles  in  His  Church  to  prepare  His  people  for  the 
coming. 

However,  this  position  can  not  be  very  successfully  supported. 
Neither  in  the  discourses  of  Christ,  nor  in  the  epistles  of  the  apos- 
tles, nor  in  the  Apocalypse,  do  we  find  the  least  intimation  of  such 
an  event.  The  end  of  all  things  is  repeatedly  spoken  of.  -The 
New  Testament  frequently  rehearses  the  events  and  signs  that 
must  precede  the  Lord's  return.  They  are  recorded  so  minutely 
that  some  even  say  that  the  exact  date  can  be  fixed.  And  yet, 
among  all  these  prophecies,  we  fail  to  discover  the  slightest  sign  of 
a  subsequent  apostolate.  In  the  panorama  of  the  things  to  come 
there  is  literally  no  room  for  it. 

Nor  have  the  results  realized  the  expectations  of  these  brethren. 
Their  apostolate  has  been  a  great  disappointment.  It  has  accom- 
plished almost  nothing.  It  has  come  and  gone  without  leaving  a 
trace.     We  do  not  deny  that  some  of  these  men  have  done  wonder- 

*  The  Irvingites  are  known  in  England  and  America  as  the  Catholic 
Apostolic  Church. — Trans. 


APOSTLES   TO-DAY?  159 

ful  things;  but  be  it  noticed,  in  the  first  place,  that  the  signs 
wrought  were  far  below  those  performed  by  the  apostles;  second, 
that  a  man  like  Pastor  Blumhardt  has  also  wrought  signs  that 
greatly  deserve  to  be  noticed;  third,  that  the  Roman  Catholic 
Church  sometimes  ofifers  signs  that  are  not  pretended  nor  artificial ; 
lastly,  that  the  Lord  has  warned  us  in  His  Word  that  signs  shall  be 
wrought  by  men  who  are  not  His  own. 

Moreover,  let  us  not  forget  that  the  apostles  of  the  Irvingites 
completely  lack  the  marks  of  the  apostolate.  These  were:  (i)  a 
call  directly  from  the  King  of  the  Church ;  (2)  a  peculiar  qualifica- 
tion of  the  Holy  Spirit  making  them  infallible  in  the  service  of  the 
Church.  These  men  lack  both  marks.  They  tell  us,  indeed,  of  a 
call  come  to  them  by  the  mouth  of  prophets,  but  this  is  to  little  or 
no  purpose,  for  a  call  from  a  prophet  is  not  equal  to  one  directly 
from  Christ,  and  again  the  name  "prophet"  is  exceedingly  mis- 
leading. The  word  prophet  has,  on  the  sacred  page,  a  wide  appli- 
cation, and  occurs  in  both  a  limited  and  a  general  sense.  The  former 
involves  the  revelation  of  a  knowledge  that  mere  illumination  does 
not  afford ;  while  the  l?tter  applies  to  men  speaking  in  holy  ecstasy 
to  the  praise  of  God.  We  concede  that  prophesying,  in  the  general 
sense,  is  an  enduring  charisma  of  the  Church ;  for  which  reason  the 
reformers  of  the  sixteenth  century  attempted  to  revive  this  office. 
If  the  Irvingites,  therefore,  believe  that  in  their  circles  the  pro- 
phetic activity  has  been  revived,  we  will  not  dispute  it;  altho  we 
can  not  say  that  the  reports  of  their  prophesying  have  had  a  very 
overwhelming  effect  upon  us.  However,  let  it  be  granted  that  the 
gift  has  been  restored ;  but  even  then  we  ask :  What  do  you  gain  by 
it?  For  there  is  not  the  slightest  proof  that  these  prophets  and 
prophetesses  are  like  their  predecessors  in  the  Old  Testament, 
The  unrevealed  will  of  God  has  not  been  revealed  to  them.  If 
prophets  at  all,  then  their  prophesying  is  merely  a  speaking  to  the 
praise  of  God  in  a  state  of  spiritual  ecstasy. 

The  uselessness  of  an  appeal  to  such  prophets  for  the  support 
of  this  new  apostolate  is  evident.  It  is  merely  the  effort  to  sup- 
port an  unsupported  apostolate  by  an  equally  unsupported  proph- 
etism. 

Nor  should  it  be  forgotten  that  the  labors  of  these  so-called 
apostles  have  not  carried  out  their  own  program.  They  have  failed 
to  exert  any  perceptible  influence  upon  the  course  of  events.  The 
institutions  founded  by  them  have  in  no  respect  surpassed  the  many 


i6o  THE   APOSTOLATE 

new  church  organizations  witnessed  by  this  century.  They  have 
established  no  new  principle ;  their  labors  have  manifested  no  new 
power.  Whatever  they  have  done  lacks  the  stamp  of  a  heavenly 
origin.  And  nearly  all  these  new  apostles  have  died  not  like  the 
genuine  twelve  on  cross  or  stake,  but  on  their  own  beds  surrounded 
by  their  friends  and  admirers. 

However,  this  is  not  all.  The  name  of  apostle  may  be  taken  (i) 
in  the  sense  of  being  called  directly  by  Jesus  as  an  ambassador  for 
God,  or  (2)  in  a  general  sense,  denoting  every  man  sent  by  Jesus 
into  His  vineyard ;  for  the  word  apostle  means  one  that  is  sent.  In 
Acts  xiv.  14  Barnabas  is  called  an  apostle;  not  because  he  belonged 
to  their  number,  but  merely  to  indicate  that  he  was  sent  out  by  the 
Lord  as  His  missionary  or  ambassador.  In  Acts  xiii.  i,  2  Barnabas 
is  mentioned  before  Saul,  who  is  not  even  called  by  his  apostolic 
name ;  which  shows  that  this  call  of  the  Holy  Spirit  bore  only  a 
temporary  character,  having  in  view  only  this  special  mission. 
For  this  reason  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ,  as  the  One  sent  of  the  Fa- 
ther, the  great  Missionary  come  to  this  world,  the  Ambassador  of 
God  to  His  Church,  is  called  Apostle :  "  Wherefore,  holy  brethren, 
.  .  .  consider  the  Apostle  and  High  Priest  of  our  confession,  Christ 
Jesus"  (Heb.  iii.  1). 

If  the  Irvingites  had  called  the  great  reformers  of  the  sixteenth 
century,  or  some  prominent  church  leaders  of  the  present  time, 
apostles,  there  could  have  been  no  great  objection.  But  they  did 
not  mean  this.  They  claim  that  these  new  apostles  shall  stand 
before  the  Church  in  a  peculiar  character,  on  the  same  plane  with 
the  first  apostles,  altho  differently  employed.  And  this  can  not.be 
conceded.  It  would  be  in  direct  opposition  to  the  apostolic  declara- 
tion of  I  Cor.  iv.  9:  "  For  I  think  that  God  hath  set  us  forth  as  the 
last  apostles,  as  it  were  appointed  unto  death  *'  (see  Dutch  trans- 
lation). How  could  St.  Paul  speak  of  the  last  apostles,  if  it  were 
God's  plan  after  eighteen  centuries  to  send  other  twelve  apostles 
into  the  world? 

In  view  of  this  positive  word  of  the  Holy  Spirit,  we  direct  all 
those  that  come  into  contact  with  the  Irvingites  to  what  the  Scrip- 
ture says  concerning  them  that  call  themselves  apostles,  and  are 
not:  '  For  such  men  are  false  apostles,  deceitful  workers,  fashioning 
themselves  into  apostles  of  Christ."  And  the  Lord  Jesus  testifies 
to  the  church  at  Ephesus :  "  I  know  that  thou  hast  tried  them  which 
say  they  are  apostles,  and  are  not." 


APOSTLES   TO-DAY  ?  i6i 

The  notion  that  false  apostles  must  be  a  sort  of  incarnate  devils 
applies  in  no  wise  to  the  calm,  respectable,  and  venerable  men  fre- 
quently seen  in  the  circles  of  the  Irvingites.  But  apart  from  this 
absurd  notion,  and  considering  that  the  false  prophets  of  the  Old 
Testament  so  closely  resembled  the  true  ones  that  at  times  even 
the  people  of  God  were  deceived  by  them,  we  can  understand  that 
the  false  apostles  of  St.  John's  day  could  be  detected  only  by  a 
higher  spiritual  discernment;  and  that  the  pretended  apostles  of 
the  nineteenth  century,  who  by  their  similarity  to  the  genuine 
twelve  blinded  the  eyes  of  the  superficial,  could  be  detected  only 
by  the  touchstone  of  the  Word  of  God.  And  that  Word  declares 
that  the  twelve  of  St.  Paul's  day  were  the  last  apostles,  which  set- 
tles the  matter  of  this  pretended  apostolate. 

This  error  of  the  Irvingites  is  therefore  not  so  very  innocent. 
It  is  easy  to  explain  how  it  originated.  The  wretched  and  deplor- 
able state  of  the  Church  must  necessarily  give  rise  to  a  number  of 
sects.  And  we  heartily  acknowledge  that  the  Irvingites  have  sent 
forth  many  warnings  and  well-deserved  rebukes  to  our  superficial 
and  divided  Church.  But  these  good  offices  by  no  means  justify 
the  doing  of  things  condemned  by  the  Word  of  God;  and  those  who 
have  allowed  themselves  to  be  carried  away  by  their  teachings 
will  sooner  or  later  experience  their  fatal  result.  It  is  already  man- 
ifest that  this  movement,  which  started  among  us  under  the  pretext 
of  uniting  a  divided  church  by  gathering  together  the  Lord's  peo- 
ple, has  accomplished  little  more  than  to  add  another  to  the  already 
large  number  of  sects,  thus  robbing  the  Church  of  Christ  of  excel- 
lent powers  that  now  are  being  wasted. 

That  the  apostolate  was  a  closed  circle,  and  not  a  flexible  theory, 
is  evident  from  Acts  i.  25 :  "  Lord,  show  of  these  two,  the  one  whom 
Thou  hast  chosen  to  take  the  place  of  this  ministry  and  apostleship '' ; 
and  again  from  St.  Paul's  word  (Rom.  i.  5) :  "  By  whom  we  have 
received  grace  and  apostleship";  and  again  (i  Cor.  ix.  2) :  "  For  the 
seal  of  my  apostleship  are  ye  in  the  Lord " ;  and  lastly  from  Gal. 
ii.  8:  "  For  He  that  wrought  for  Peter  unto  the  apostleship  of  the 
circumcision,  wrought  for  me  also  unto  the  Gentiles."  And  again 
it  is  evident  from  the  fact  that  the  apostles  always  appear  as  the 
twelve ;  and  from  their  being  specially  appointed  and  installed  by 
Jesus  breathing  upon  them  the  official  gift  of  the  Holy  Spirit;  and 
from  the  exceptional  power  and  gifts  thai  were  connected  with  the 
apostolate.  And  it  is  especially  from  its  conspicuous  place  in  the 
II 


1 62  THE   APOSTOLATE 

coming  Kingdom  of  our  Lord  Jesus  Christ  that  the  apostolate  ob- 
tains its  definite  character.  For  the  Holy  Scripture  teaches  that 
the  apostles  shall  sit  upon  twelve  thrones  judging  the  twelve  tribes 
of  Israel ;  and  also  that  the  New  Jerusalem  has  "  twelve  foundations 
upon  which  are  written  the  twelve  names  of  the  apostles  of  the 
Lamb." 

St.  Paul  offers  us  in  his  own  person  the  most  convincing  proof 
that  the  apostolate  was  a  closed  college.  If  it  had  not  been,  the 
question  whether  he  was  an  apostle  or  not  could  never  have  caused 
contention.  Yet  a  large  part  of  the  Church  refused  to  acknowledge 
his  apostleship.  He  did  not  belong  to  the  twelve;  he  had  not 
walked  with  Jesus;  how  could  he  be  a  witness?  It  was  against 
this  seriously  meant  contention  that  St.  Paul  repeatedly  lifted 
up  his  voice  with  such  energy  and  animation.  This  fact  is  the 
key  to  the  right  understanding  of  his  epistles  to  the  Corinthians 
and  Galatians.  They  glow  with  holy  jealousy  for  the  reality  of  his 
apostleship ;  for  he  was  deeply  convinced  that  he  was  an  apostle  as 
well  as  St.  Peter  and  the  others.  Not  by  virtue  of  personal  merit; 
in  himself  he  was  not  worthy  to  be  called  an  apostle — i  Cor.  xv.  9; 
but  no  sooner  is  his  office  assailed  than  he  arouses  himself  like  a 
lion,  for  this  touched  the  honor  of  his  Master,  who  had  appeared 
unto  him  in  the  way  to  Damascus;  not,  as  is  commonly  said,  to 
convert  him — for  this  is  not  Christ's  work,  but  that  of  the  Holy 
Spirit — but  to  appoint  him  an  apostle  in  that  Church  which  he  was 
persecuting. 

As  to  the  question,  how  the  addition  of  St.  Paul  to  the  twelve  is 
consistent  with  that  number,  we  are  convinced  that  not  the  name 
of  Matthias,  but  that  of  St.  Paul  is  written  upon  the  foundations  of 
the  New  Jerusalem  with  those  of  the  others ;  and  that  not  Matthias, 
but  St.  Paul  shall  sit  down  to  judge  the  twelve  tribes  of  Israel.  As 
one  of  the  tribes  of  Israel  was  replaced  by  two  others,  so  in  regard 
to  the  apostolate;  for  Simeon,  who  fell  out,  Manasseh  and  Ephraim 
were  substituted,  and  Judas  was  replaced  by  Matthias  and  Paul. 

We  would  not  imply  that  the  apostles  erred  in  electing  Matthias 
to  fill  the  vacancy  occasioned  by  the  suicide  of  Judas.  On  the  con- 
trary, the  completion  of  the  apostolic  number  could  not  be  delayed 
until  the  conversion  of  St.  Paul.  The  vacancy  had  to  be  filled  im- 
mediately. But  it  may  be  said  that  when  the  disciples  chose  Mat- 
thias they  had  too  small  a  conception  of  the  goodness  of  their  Lord. 
They  supposed  that  for  Judas  they  would  receive  a  Matthias,  and. 


APOSTLES   TO-DAY?  163 

behold,  Jesus  gave  them  a  Paul.  As  to  the  former,  the  Scripture 
mentions  his  election  and  no  more.  Yet  even  tho  to  the  Church  of 
later  times  the  apostolate  without  St.  Paul  is  unthinkable,  and  tho 
it  allowed  his  person  the  first  place  among  the  apostles  and  his 
writings  highest  in  authority  among  the  Scriptures  of  the  New  Tes- 
tament, to  the  person  of  Matthias  the  election  to  the  apostolate 
must  have  brought  highest  honor.  The  apostolate  stands  so  high 
that  the  fact  of  having  been  identified  with  it,  even  temporarily, 
imparts  greater  luster  to  a  man's  name  than  a  royal  crown. 


•Wfntb  Cbapter. 

THE  HOLY  SCRIPTURES  IN  THE  NEW  TESTA- 
MENT. 


XXXIII. 
The  Holy  Scriptures  in  the  New  Testament. 

"  But  these  are  written  that  ye  might 
believe  that  Jesus  is  the  Christ, 
the  Son  of  God ;  and  that  believing 
ye  might  have  life  through  His 
name."— _/t;//«  xx.  31. 

Having  considered  the  apostolate,  we  are  now  to  discuss  God's 
gift  to  the  Church,  viz.,  the  New  Testament  Scripture. 

The  apostolate  placed  a  new  power  in  the  Church. 

Surely  all  power  is  in  heaven ;  but  it  has  pleased  God  to  let  this 
power  descend  in  the  Church  by  means  of  organs  and  instruments, 
chief  among  which  is  the  apostolate.  This  organ  was  a  consolation 
of  the  Comforter,  given  to  the  Church  after  Jesus  had  ascended  to 
heaven  and  was  provisionally  not  to  govern  His  Church  in  person. 
Hence  it  was  a  forsaken  Church,  not  yet  planted,  and  soon  to  be 
scattered,  to  which  the  Holy  Spirit  gave  the  apostolate  as  a  bond  of 
union,  as  an  organ  for  self-extension,  and  as  an  instrument  for  its 
own  enrichmefit  with  the  full  knowledge  of  the  life  of  grace.  Com- 
missioned by  the  King  of  the  Church,  the  apostles  were  animated 
by  the  Holy  Spirit.  As  the  King  works  for  His  Church  only  by  the 
Spirit,  so  He  caused  the  apostolate  to  work  also  by  the  higher  pow- 
ers of  the  Holy  Spirit. 

It  was  not  the  Lord's  intention  tliat  His  Church  should  set  out 
in  ignorance,  to  wander  about  in  manifold  error,  finally,  the  long 
journey  ended,  to  arrive  at  a  clearer  perception  of  the  truth ;  but  that 
from  the  beginning  it  should  stand  in  the  light  of  complete  knowl- 
edge.    Hence  He  gave  it  the  apostolate,  that  from  the  cradle  of 


HOLY  SCRIPTURES  IN  NEW  TESTAMENT     165 

its  existence  it  should  receive  the  full  sunshine  of  grace,  and  that 
no  subsequent  development  of  Christendom  should  ever  surpass 
that  of  the  apostles. 

This  is  a  very  significant  fact. 

Indeed,  in  the  course  of  history  there  is  development,  especially 
in  doctrine,  which  has  not  yet  ceased,  and  which  will  continue  until 
the  end.  The  King  has  cast  His  Church  into  the  midst  of  warfare 
and  trouble ;  He  has  not  permitted  it  to  confess  His  name  in  an  un- 
manly and  indolent  manner,  but  from  age  to  age  He  has  compelled 
it  to  defend  that  confession  against  error,  misunderstanding,  and 
hostility.  It  is  only  in  this  warfare  that  it  has  learned  gradually  to 
exhibit  every  part  of  its  glorious  inheritance  of  truth.  God  shall 
judge  heretics;  but,  besides  much  mischief,  they  have  rendered  the 
Church  this  excellent  service  of  compelling  it  to  wake  up  from 
slumbering  upon  its  gold-mines,  to  explore  them,  and  to  open  the 
hidden  treasure. 

Hence  our  conscious  insight  into  the  truth  is  deeper  than  that 
of  the  preceding  centuries.  Semper  excelsior !  Ever  higher !  Re- 
search into  holy  things  may  never  cease ;  even  now  the  Lord  ful- 
fils His  promise  to  every  true  theologian :  "  Ask,  and  it  shall  be 
given  you;  seek,  and  ye  shall  find."  And  in  the  development  of 
the  consciousness  of  the  Church  concerning  its  treasure  of  truth,  the 
Holy  Spirit  has  a  special  work,  and  he  who  denies  it  leaves  the 
Church  to  petrify  and  is  blind  for  the  word  of  the  Lord. 

Yet,  however  great  its  present  and  future  progress,  it  will  never 
possess  a  grain  of  truth  more  than  when  the  apostolate  passed  away. 
Afterward  the  gold-mine  might  be  explored ;  but  when  the  apostles 
died  the  mine  itself  existed  already.  Nothing  can  be  added  to  it  or 
ever  will ;  it  is  complete  in  itself.  For  this  reason  the  great  men  of 
God,  who,  in  the  course  of  ages,  by  brave  words  have  animated  the 
Church,  have  always  pointed  back  to  the  treasures  of  the  apostles, 
and  without  exception  told  the  churches :  "  Your  treasure  lies  not 
before,  but  behind  you,  and  dates  from  the  days  of  the  apostles." 

And  herein  was  mercy ;  any  other  disposition  would  have  been 
unmerciful.  The  people  of  one  or  eighteen  centuries  ago  had  the 
same  spiritual  needs  as  we  have ;  nothing  less  than  we  have  could 
suffice  for  them.  Their  wounds  are  ours;  the  balm  of  Gilead  that 
has  healed  us,  healed  them  also.  Consequently  the  remedy  for 
souls  must  be  ready  for  immediate  use.  Delay  would  be  cruel. 
Hence  it  is  not  strange  and  problematic,  but  perfectly  in  accord 


i66     HOLY  SCRIPTURES  IN  NEW  TESTAMENT 


I 


ith  God's  mercy,  that  the  whole  treasure  of  saving  truth  was  g^ven 
to  the  Church  directly  in  the  first  century. 

To  accomplish  this  was  the  mission  of  the  apostolate.  It  is  like 
medical  science  in  this  respect,  which  makes  constant  progress  in 
the  knowledge  of  herbs.  But  however  great  that  progress,  no  new 
herb  has  been  produced.  Those  that  exist  now,  existed  always, 
having  the  same  medicinal  properties.  The  only  difference  is,  that 
we  know  better  than  our  ancestors  how  to  apply  them.  In  like 
manner,  since  the  days  of  the  apostolate  no  new  remedy  for  the 
healing  of  souls  has  been  created  or  invented.  Indeed,  some  of  the 
powers  then  at  work  are  lost  to  us,  e.g.,  the  charisma  of  tongues. 
All  the  difference  between  the  Church  then  and  now  is,  that  we, 
according  to  this  thinking  and  emotional  age,  understand  more  pro- 
foundly the  connection  between  the  effect  of  the  remedy  and  the 
healing  of  our  wounds. 

This  difference  does  not  make  us  richer  or  poorer.  For  the  sim- 
ple peasant  it  is  sufficient  to  receive  the  prescribed  medicine,  altho 
he  is  ignorant  of  its  ingredients  and  effects  upon  blood  and  nerves. 
In  his  world  this  need  does  not  exist.  But  the  man  of  thought,  un- 
derstanding the  connection  between  cause  and  effect,  has  no  confi- 
dence in  any  medicine  unless  he  knows  something  of  its  working. 
To  him,  this  knowledge  is  a  positive  need,  and  to  the  psychological 
effect  it  is  even  indispensable. 

This  is  likewise  true  of  the  Church  of  Christ ;  it  has  not  been 
always  the  same,  neither  have  its  needs.  The  development  of  our 
knowledge  has  been  such  that  every  age  has  received  an  insight 
adapted  to  satisfy  its  necessity.  More  than  this :  the  very  fermen- 
tation of  the  age  has  created  the  modified  need,  and  has  been  used 
of  God  to  give  a  clearer  understanding  of  the  truth. 

And  yet,  whatever  the  increased  clearness  and  maturity  of  the 
knowledge  concerning  the  secret  of  the  Lord  during  the  ages,  the 
secret  itself  has  remained  the  same.  Nothing  has  been  added  to  it. 
And  the  mystery  of  the  apostolate  is.  that  by  the  labors  of  its  mem- 
bers the  whole  secret  of  the  Lord  was  made  known  to  the  Church, 
under  the  infallible  authorship  of  the  divine  Inspirer,  the  Holy 
Spirit. 

This  is  the  great  fact  accomplished  by  the  apostolate :  the  pub- 
lication of  the  whole  secret  of  the  Lord,  by  which  the  revelation  in 
the  Old  Testament,  to  John  the  Baptist  and  Christ  was  enlarged  and 
worked  out.     For  to  complete  a  thing  means  to  add  that  which  be- 


HOLY  SCRIPTURES  IN  NEW  TESTAMENT     167 

fore  was  lacking;  after  which  nothing  more  can  be  added.     And 
this  is  the  second  point  that  we  emphasize. 

Through  the  apostles  the  Church  received  something  not  pos- 
sessed by  Israel  nor  imparted  by  Christ.  Christ  Himself  declares : 
"  I  have  yet  many  things  to  say  unto  you,  but  ye  can  not  bear  them 
now.  Howbeit  when  He,  the  Spirit  of  truth,  is  come,  He  will  guide 
you  into  all  truth ;  for  He  shall  not  speak  from  Himself;  but  whatso- 
ever He  shall  hear,  that  shall  He  speak ;  and  He  will  shew  you  things 
to  come.  He  shall  glorify  Me;  for  He  shall  receive  of  Mine,  and 
shall  shew  it  unto  you"  (John  xvi.  12-14),  St.  Paul  spoke  not 
less  clearly,  saying:  "  That  the  mystery  which  was  kept  secret  since 
the  world  began  was  now  made  manifest"  (Rom,  xvi.  25).  And 
again :  "  To  make  men  see  what  is  the  dispensation  of  the  mystery 
which  from  all  ages  was  hid  in  God."  And  again:  "  The  mystery 
which  has  been  hid  from  ages  and  from  generations,  but  now  is 
made  manifest  to  his  saints"  (Col.  i.  16).  Finally,  St.  John  de- 
clares that  the  apostles  testify  of  what  they  had  looked  upon  with 
their  eyes,  and  their  hands  had  handled  of  the  Word  of  Life,  which 
was  with  the  Father,  and  which  is  manifested. 

Altho  we  do  not  deny  that  the  germ  of  saving  knowledge  was 
given  in  Paradise,  to  the  Patriarchs,  and  to  Israel ;  yet  the  Scrip- 
ture teaches  distinctly  that  truth  was  revealed  to  the  Patriarchs, 
unknown  in  Paradise ;  to  Israel,  of  which  the  Patriarchs  were  igno- 
rant; and  by  Jesus,  truth  that  was  hidden  from  Israel.  In  like 
manner,  truth  not  declared  by  Jesus  was  revealed  to  the  Church  by 
the  holy  apostolate. 

Against  this  last  statement,  however,  objections  are  raised. 
Many  unbelieving  writers  of  the  present  century  have  frequently 
asserted  that  not  Jesus,  but  Paul  was  the  real  founder  of  Christian- 
ity ;  while  others  have  frequently  exhorted  us  to  abandon  the  ortho- 
dox theology  of  St.  Paul,  and  to  return  to  the  simple  teachings  of 
Jesus;  especially  to  His  Sermon  on  the  Mount. 

And  really,  the  more  the  Scripture  is  studied  the  more  obvious 
the  difference  between  the  Sermon  on  the  Mount  and  the  Epistle  to 
the  Romans  will  appear.  Not  as  tho  the  two  contradict  each  other, 
but  in  this  way,  that  the  latter  contains  elements  of  truth,  new  rays 
of  light,  not  found  in  the  former. 

If  one  objects  to  the  doctrines  of  the  apostles,  as  does  the 
Groninger  School,  it  is  natural  to  place  the  gospels  above  the  epistles. 
Hence  the  fact  that  many  half-believers  still  receive  the  Parables  and 


i68     HOLY  SCRIPTURES  IN  NEW  TESTAMENT 

the  Sermon  on  the  Mount,  but  reject  the  doctrine  of  justification  as 
taught  by  St.  Paul ;  while  those  who  wish  to  break  with  Christianity 
entirely  are  inclined  to  consider  the  Pauline  epistles  as  its  real  ex- 
ponent, but  only  to  reject  them  with  the  entire  Pauline  Christianity. 
For  the  Church  of  the  living  God,  which  receives  both,  there  is  in 
this  unholy  tendency  an  exhortation  to  have  an  open  eye  for  the  dif- 
ference between  the  gospels  and  the  epistles,  and  to  acknowledge 
that  our  opponents  are  right  when  they  call  it  a  marked  difference. 

Yet  while  our  opponents  use  the  difference  to  attack  either  the 
authority  of  the  apostolic  doctrine  or  that  of  Christendom  itself, 
the  Church  confesses  that  there  is  nothing  surprising  in  this  differ- 
ence. Both  are  parts  of  the  same  doctrine  of  Jesus,  with  this  dis- 
tinction, that  the  first  part  was  revealed  directly  by  Christ,  while 
the  other  He  gave  to  His  Church  indirectly  by  the  apostles. 

Of  course,  so  long  as  the  apostles  are  considered  as  independent 
persons,  teaching  a  new  doctrine  on  their  ow/i  authority,  our  solution 
does  not  solve  the  difficulty.  But  confessing  that  they  are  holy 
apostles,  i.e.,  organs  of  the  Holy  Spirit  through  whom  Jesus  Him- 
self taught  His  people  from  heaven,  then  every  objection  is  met, 
and  there  is  not  even  a  shadow  of  conflict. 

For  Jesus  simply  acted  like  an  earthly  father  in  the  training  of 
his  children,  who  teaches  them  according  to  their  comprehension  ; 
and  in  case  of  his  death,  his  task  still  unfinished,  he  will  leave  them 
written  instructions  to  be  opened  after  his  departure.  But  Jesus 
died  to  rise  again,  and  even  after  His  Ascension  He  continued  to 
be  in  living  contact  with  His  Church  through  the  apostolate.  And 
what  we  would  write  before  our  decease,  Jesus  caused  to  be  written 
by  His  apostles  under  the  special  direction  of  the  Holy  Spirit.  Thus 
the  Scriptures  of  the  New  Testament  originate — a  New  Testament 
in  a  sense  now  easily  understood. 

The  correctness  of  this  representation  is  proven  by  Christ's  own 
words,  which  teach  us — 

First,  that  there  were  things  declared  to  the  apostles  before  His 
departure,  and  there  were  things  not  declared,  because  they  could 
not  bear  them  then. 

Secondly,  that  Jesus  would  declare  the  latter  also,  but  by  the 
Holy  Spirit. 

Thirdly,  that  the  Holy  Spirit  would  reveal  these  things  to  them, 
not  apart  from  Jesus,  but  by  taking  them  from  Christ  and  declaring 
them  unto  them. 


XXXIV. 
The  Need  of  the  New  Testament  Scripture. 

"  For  I  testify  unto  every  man  that 
heareth  the  words  of  the  prophecy 
of  this  book,  If  any  man  shall  add 
unto  these  things,  God  shall  add 
unto  him  the  plagues  that  are  writ- 
ten in  this  book." — Rev.  xxii.  i8. 

If  the  Church  after  the  Ascension  of  Christ  had  been  destined  to 
live  only  one  lifetime,  and  had  been  confined  only  to  the  land  of 
the  Jews,  the  holy  apostles  could  have  accomplished  their  task  by 
verbal  teaching.  But  since  it  was  to  live  at  least  for  eighteen  cen- 
turies, and  to  be  extended  over  the  whole  world,  the  apostles  were 
compelled  to  resort  to  the  written  communication  of  the  revelation 
which  they  had  received. 

If  they  had  not  written,  the  churches  of  Africa  and  Gaul  could 
never  have  received  trustworthy  information;  and  the  tradition 
would  have  lost  its  reliable  character  ages  ago.  The  written  reve- 
lation has,  therefore,  been  the  indispensable  means  whereby  the 
Church,  during  its  long  and  ever-extending  career,  has  been  pre- 
served from  complete  degeneration  and  falsification. 

However,  from  their  epistles  it  does  not  appear  that  the  apostles 
clearly  understood  this.  Surely,  that  the  Church  would  sojourn  in 
this  world  for  eighteen  centuries,  they  did  not  expect ;  and  almost 
all  their  epistles  bear  a  local  character,  as  tho  not  intended  for  the 
Church  in  general,  but  only  for  particular  churches.  And  yet,  al- 
tho  they  understood  it  not,  the  Lord  Jesus  knew  it;  He  had  thus 
planned  it ;  hence  the  epistle  written  exclusively  for  the  church  of 
Rome  was  intended  and  ordained  by  Him,  and  without  Paul's 
knowledge,  to  edify  the  Church  of  all  ages. 

Hence  two  things  had  to  be  done  for  the  Church  of  the  future : 

First,  the  image  of  Christ  must  be  received  from  the  lips  of  the 
apostles  and  be  committed  to  writing. 

Secondly,  the  things  of  which  Jesus  had  said,  "  Ye  can  not  bear 


I/O     HOLY  SCRIPTURES  IN  NEW  TESTAMENT 

them  now.  but  the  Holy  Spirit  will  declare  them  unto  you,"  must 
be  recorded.  This  is  the  postulate  of  the  whole  matter.  The  con- 
dition of  the  churches,  their  long  duration  in  the  future,  and  their 
world-wide  extension  demanded  it. 

And  the  facts  show  that  the  provision  was  made;  but  not  imme- 
diately. So  long  as  the  Church  was  confined  to  a  small  circle,  and 
the  remembrance  of  Christ  remained  fresh  and  powerful,  the  apos- 
tles' spoken  word  was  sufficient.  The  decree  of  the  Synod  of  Jeru- 
salem was  probably  the  first  written  document  that  proceeded  from 
them.  But  when  the  churches  began  to  extend  across  the  sea  to 
Corinth  and  Rome,  and  northward  to  Ephesus  and  Galatia,  then 
Paul  began  to  substitute  written  for  verbal  instructions.  Gradually 
this  epistolary  labor  was  extended  and  Paul's  example  followed. 
Perhaps  each  wrote  in  turn.  And  to  these  epistles  were  added  the 
narratives  of  the  life,  death,  and  Resurrection  of  Christ  and  the 
Acts  of  the  Apostles.  At  last  the  King  commanded  John  from 
heaven  to  write  in  a  book  the  extraordinary  revelation  given  him 
on  Patmos. 

The  result  was  a  gradually  increasing  number  of  apostolic  and 
non-apostolic  writings,  probably  far  exceeding  that  contained  in 
the  New  Testament.  At  least  Paul's  epistles  show  that  he  wrote 
many  more  than  we  now  possess.  But  even  if  he  had  not  thus  in- 
formed us,  the  fact  would  have  been  sufficiently  well  established; 
for  it  is  improbable  that  such  excellent  writers  as  Paul  and  John 
should  not  have  written  more  than  a  dozen  letters  during  their  long 
and  eventful  lives.  Even  in  one  year  they  must  have  written  more 
than  that  The  controversy  of  former  days  over  the  assertion  that 
no  apostolic  writings  could  have  been  lost  was  most  foolish,  and 
showed  little  reckoning  with  real  life. 

It  is  remarkable  that  from  this  great  mass  a  small  number  of 
writings  was  gradually  separated.  A  few  were  collected  first,  then 
more  were  added,  and  arranged  in  certain  order.  It  took  a  long 
time  before  there  was  uniformity  and  agreement ;  indeed,  some  wri- 
tings were  not  universally  recognized  until  after  three  centuries. 
But  in  spite  of  time  and  controversy,  the  sifting  took  place,  and  the 
result  was,  that  the  Church  distinguished  in  this  great  mass  of  liter- 
ature two  distinct  parts:  on  the  one  hand,  this  arranged  set  of 
twenty-seven  books;  and  on  the  other,  the  remaining  writings  of 
early  origin. 

And  when  the  process  of  sifting  and  separating  was  ended,  and 


NEED  OF  NEW  TESTAMENT  SCRIPTURE      171 

the  Holy  Spirit  had  borne  witness  in  the  churches  that  this  set  of 
writings  constituted  a  whole,  and  was,  indeed,  the  Testament  of 
the  Lord  Jesus  to  His  Church,  then  the  Church  became  conscious 
that  it  possessed  a  second  collection  of  sacred  books  of  equal  author- 
ity with  the  first  collection  given  to  Israel ;  then  it  put  the  Old  and 
the  New  Testament  together,  which  unitedly  form  the  Holy  Scrip- 
ture, our  Bible,  the  Word  of  God. 

To  the  question,  How  did  the  New  Testament  Scripture  origi- 
nate? we  answer  without  hesitation.  By  the  Holy  Spirit. 

How?  Did  He  say  to  Paul  or  John :  "  Sit  down  and  write"  ? 
The  gospels  and  the  epistles  do  not  so  impress  us.  It  does 
indeed  apply  to  the  Revelation  of  St.  John,  but  not  to  the  other 
New  Testament  Scriptures.  They  rather  impress  us  as  being  writ- 
ten without  the  slightest  idea  of  being  intended  for  the  Church  of 
all  ages.  Their  authors  impress  us  as  writing  to  certain  churches 
of  their  own  definite  time,  and  that  after  a  hundred  years  perhaps 
not  a  single  fragment  of  their  writings  would  be  in  existence.  They 
were  indeed  conscious  of  the  Holy  Spirit's  aid  in  writing  the  truth 
even  as  they  enjoyed  it  in  speaking;  but  that  they  were  writing  parts 
of  the  Holy  Scripture,  they  surely  knew  not. 

When  St.  Paul  had  finished  his  Epistle  to  the  Romans,  it  never 
occurred  to  him  that  in  future  ages  his  letter  would  possess  for  mil- 
lions of  God's  children  an  authority  equal  to,  or  even  higher  than 
that  of  the  prophecies  of  Isaiah  and  the  Psalms  of  David.  Nor  could 
the  first  readers  of  his  epistle,  in  the  church  of  Rome,  have  imag- 
ined that  after  eighteen  centuries  the  names  of  their  principal  men 
would  still  be  household  words  in  all  parts  of  the  Christian  world. 

But  if  St.  Paul  knew  it  not,  surely  the  Holy  Spirit  did.  As  by 
education  the  Lord  frequently  prepares  a  maiden  for  her  still  un- 
known, future  husband,  so  did  the  Holy  Spirit  prepare  Paul,  John, 
and  Peter  for  their  work.  He  directed  their  lives,  circumstances, 
and  conditions;  He  caused  such  thoughts,  meditations,  and  even 
words  to  arise  in  their  hearts  as  the  writing  of  the  New  Testament 
Scripture  required.  And  while  they  were  writing  these  portions 
of  the  Holy  Scripture,  that  one  day  would  be  the  treasure  of  the 
universal  Church  in  all  ages,  a  fact  not  understood  by  them,  but  by 
the  Holy  Spirit,  He  so  directed  their  thoughts  as  to  guard  them 
against  mistakes  and  lead  them  into  all  truth.  He  foreknew  what 
the  complete  New  Testament  Scripture  ought  to  be,  and  what  parts 
would  belong  to  it.     As  an  architect,  by  his  mechanics,  prepares  the 


172     HOLY  SCRIPTURES  IN  NEW  TESTAMENT 

various  parts  of  the  bnilding,  afterward  to  fit  them  in  their  places, 
so  did  the  Holy  Spirit  by  different  workers  prepare  the  different 
parts  of  the  New  Testament,  which  afterward  He  united  in  a  whole. 

For  the  Lord,  who  by  His  Holy  Spirit  caused  the  preparation  of 
these  parts,  is  also  King  of  the  Church;  He  saw  these  parts  scat- 
tered abroad ;  He  led  men  to  care  for  them,  and  believers  to  have 
faith  in  them.  And,  finally,  by  means  of  the  men  interested,  He 
united  these  loose  fragments,  so  that  gradually,  according  to  His 
royal  decree,  the  New  Testament  originated. 

Hence  it  was  not  necessary  that  the  New  Testament  Scripture 
should  contain  only  apostolic  writings.  Mark  and  Luke  were  no 
apostles ;  and  the  notion  that  these  men  must  have  written  under 
the  direction  of  Paul  or  Peter  has  no  proof  nor  force.  What  is  the 
benefit  of  writing  under  the  direction  of  an  apostle?  That  which 
gives  divine  authority  to  the  writings  of  Luke  is  not  the  influence 
of  an  apostle,  but  that  he  wrote  under  the  absolute  inspiration  of 
the  Holy  Spirit. 

Believing  in  the  authority  of  the  New  Testament,  we  must 
acknowledge  the  authority  of  the  four  evangelists  to  be  perfectly 
equal.  As  to  the  contents,  Matthew's  gospel  may  surpass  that  of 
Luke,  and  John's  may  excel  the  gospel  of  Mark;  but  their  author- 
ity is  equally  unquestionable.  The  Epistle  to  the  Romans  has 
higher  value  than  that  to  Philemon;  but  their  authority  is  the  same. 
As  to  'Cci&ix persons,  John  stood  above  Mark,  and  Paul  above  Jude; 
but  since  we  depend  not  upon  the  authority  of  their  persons,  but 
only  upon  that  of  the  Holy  Spirit,  these  personal  differences  are 
of  no  account. 

Hence  the  question  is  not  whether  the  New  Testament  writers 
were  apostles,  but  whether  they  were  inspired  by  the  Holy  Spirit. 

Assuredly,  it  has  pleased  the  King  to  connect  His  testimony  with 
the  apostolate;  for  He  said:  "Ye  are  My  witnesses."  Hence  we 
know  that  Luke  and  Mark  obtained  their  information  concerning 
Christ  from  the  apostles;  but  our  guaranty  for  the  accuracy  and 
reliability  of  their  statements  is  not  the  apostolic  origin  of  the  same, 
but  the  authority  of  the  Holy  Spirit.  Hence  the  apostles  are  the 
channels  through  which  the  knowledge  of  these  things  flows  to  us 
from  Christ;  but  whether  this  knowledge  reaches  us  through  their 
writings  or  through  those  of  others  makes  no  difference.  The  vital 
question  is,  whether  the  bearers  of  the  apostolic  tradition  were  in- 
fallibly inspired  or  not. 


NEED  OF  NEW  TESTAMENT  SCRIPTURE      173 

Even  tho  a  writing  were  indorsed  by  the  twelve  apostles,  this 
would  not  be  positive  proof  of  its  credibility  or  divine  authority. 
For  altho  they  had  the  promise  that  the  Holy  Spirit  would  lead 
them  into  all  truth,  this  does  not  exclude  the  possibility  of  theii 
falling  into  mistakes  or  even  untruths.  The  promise  did  not  imply 
absolute  infallibility,  at  all  times,  but  merely  when  they  should  act 
as  the  witnesses  of  Jesus.  Hence  the  information  that  a  document 
comes  from  the  hand  of  an  apostle  is  insufficient.  It  requires  the 
additional  information  that  it  belongs  to  the  things  which  the  apos- 
tle wrote  as  a  witness  of  Jesus. 

If,  therefore,  the  divine  authority  of  any  writing  does  not  depend 
upon  its  apostolic  character,  but  solely  upon  the  authority  of  the 
Holy  Spirit,  it  follows,  as  a  matter  of  course,  that  the  Holy  Spirit 
is  entirely  free  to  have  the  apostolic  testimony  recorded  by  the 
apostles  themselves,  or  by  any  one  else ;  in  both  cases  the  authority 
of  these  writings  is  exactly  the  same.  Personal  preferences  are  out 
of  the  question.  So  far  as  form,  content,  wealth,  and  attractive- 
ness are  concerned,  we  may  distinguish  between  John  and  Mark, 
Paul  and  Jude.  But  when  it  touches  the  question  of  the  divine 
authority  before  which  we  must  bow,  then  we  no  longer  take  ac- 
count of  any  such  distinctions,  and  we  ask  only:  Is  this  or  that 
gospel  inspired  by  the  Holy  Spirit  ? 


XXXV. 
The  Character  of  the  New  Testament  Scripture. 

"  And  these  things  write  we  unto  you, 
that  your  joy  may  be  full."  —  i 
John  i.  4. 

From  the  two  preceding  articles  it  is  evident  that  the  New 
Testament  Scripture  was  not  intended  to  bear  the  character  of  a 
notarial  document.  If  this  had  been  the  Lord's  intention  we  should 
have  received  something  entirely  different.  It  would  have  required 
a  twofold  legal  evidence : 

In  the  first  place,  the  proof  that  the  events  narrated  in  the  New 
Testament  actually  occurred  as  related. 

Secondly,  that  the  revelations  received  by  the  apostles  are  cor- 
rectly communicated. 

Both  certifications  should  be  furnished  by  witnesses,  e.g.,  to 
prove  the  miracle  of  the  feeding  of  the  five  thousand  would  re- 
quire : 

1.  A  declaration  of  a  number  of  persons,  stating  that  they  were 
eye-witnesses  of  the  miracle. 

2.  An  authentic  declaration  of  the  magistrates  of  the  surround- 
ing places  certifying  to  their  signatures. 

3.  A  declaration  of  competent  persons  to  prove  that  these  wit- 
nesses were  known  as  honest  and  trustworthy  people,  disinterested 
and  competent  to  judge.  Moreover,  it  would  be  necessary  by 
proper  testimony  to  prove  that,  among  the  five  thousand,  there 
were  only  seven  loaves  and  two  fishes. 

4.  That  the  increase  of  bread  took  place  while  Jesus  broke  it. 

In  the  presence  of  a  number  of  such  documents,  each  duly  au- 
thenticated and  sealed,  persons  not  too  skeptical  might  find  it  pos- 
sible to  believe  that  the  event  had  occurred  as  narrated  in  the 
Gospel. 

To  prove  this  one  miracle  would  require  a  number  of  documents 
as  voluminous  as  the  whole  of  St.   Matthew.     If  it  were  possible 


CHARACTER  OF  NEW  TESTAMENT  SCRIPTURE   175 

thus  to  prove  all  the  events  recorded  in  the  gospels  and  the  Acts 
of  the  Apostles,  then  the  credibility  of  these  narratives  would  be 
properly  established. 

And  even  this  would  be  far  from  satisfactory.  For  the  difficulty 
would  remain  to  prove  that  the  epistles  contain  correct  communi- 
cations of  the  revelations  received  by  the  apostles.  Such  proof 
would  be  impossible.  It  would  require  eye-  and  ear-witnesses  to 
these  revelations;  and  a  number  of  stenographers  to  report  them. 
If  this  had  been  possible,  then,  we  concede,  there  would  have  been, 
if  not  mathematical  certainty  for  every  expression,  yet  sufficient 
ground  for  accepting  the  general  tenor  of  the  epistles. 

But  when  the  apostles  wrote  them  there  was  no  audible  voice. 
And  when  a  voice  was  heard,  it  could  not  be  understood,  as  in  the 
case  of  Paul's  revelation  on  the  way  to  Damascus.  The  same  may 
be  said  of  what  occurred  on  Patmos:  St.  John  actually  heard  a 
voice,  but  the  hearing  and  the  understanding  of  the  words  which  it 
uttered  required  a  peculiar,  spiritual  operation  that  was  lacking  in 
the  people  at  the  same  time  on  the  island. 

The  fact  is,  that  the  revelation  of  the  Holy  Spirit  granted  to 
the  apostles  was  of  such  a  nature  that  it  could  not  be  perceived  by 
others.  Hence  the  impossibility  to  prove  its  genuineness  by  nota- 
rial evidence.  He  that  insists  upon  it  ought  to  know  that  the  Church 
can  not  furnish  it,  either  for  the  historical  narratives  of  the  gospels, 
or  for  the  spiritual  contents  of  the  epistles. 

Henc»  it  is  evident  that  every  effort  to  prove  the  truth  of  the 
contents  of  the  New  Testament  by  external  evidence  only  con- 
demns itself,  and  must  result  in  the  absolute  rejection  of  the  au- 
thority of  the  Holy  Scripture.  If  a  judge  of  the  present  day  should 
condemn  or  acquit  an  accused  person  on  the  ground  of  the  insig- 
nificant evidence  which  satisfies  many  honest  people  with  reference 
to  the  Scripture,  what  a  storm  of  indignation  would  it  raise !  The 
whole  list  of  the  so-called  evidences  as  to  the  credibility  of  the  New 
Testament  writers,  that  they  were  competent  to  judge,  willing  to 
testify,  disinterested,  etc.,  proves  nothing  indeed. 

Such  externals  may  suffice  when  it  concerns  ordinary  events,  of 
which  one  might  say :  "  I  believe  that  it  has  really  happened ,  I  have 
no  reason  to  doubt  it;  but  if  to-morrow  it  should  prove  not  to  be  so, 
I  will  lose  nothing  by  it."  But  how  can  such  superficial  methods  be 
applied  when  it  concerns  the  extraordinary  events  related  by  the 
Holy  Scripture,  upon  the  positive  certainty  of  which  my  own  and 


i-je     HOLY  SCRIPTURES  IN  NEW  TESTAMENT 

my  children's  highest  interests  depend;  so  that,  if  they  proved  to 
be  untrue,  e.g.,  the  report  of  the  resurrection  of  Christ,  we  should 
suffer  the  priceless  and  irreparable  loss  of  an  eternal  salvation? 

This  can  not  be ;  it  is  absolutely  unthinkable.  And  experience 
proves  that  the  efforts  of  foolish  people  to  prop  their  faith  by  such 
proofs  has  always  ended  with  the  loss  of  all  faith.  Nay,  such  kind 
of  proof  is  by  its  very  insignificance  either  unworthy  to  be  men- 
tioned with  reference  to  such  serioiis  matters,  or,  if  it  be  worth 
anything,  it  can  not  be  furnished,  nor  ought  it  to  be. 

Notarial  or  mathematical  proof  neither  can  nor  may  be  fur- 
nished, because  the  character  and  nature  of  the  contents  of  Scrip- 
ture are  inconsistent  with  or  repellent  to  such  demonstration. 

No  man  may  demand  legal  proofs  for  the  fact  that  the  man 
whom  he  loves  and  honors  as  father  is  his  father  indeed,  God  has 
made  such  proof  impossible  by  the  very  nature  of  the  case.  The 
delicacy  which  ennobles  all  family  life  cuts  off  the  very  appearance 
of  such  investigation;  and,  if  it  were  possible,  the  son,  furnished 
with  such  proof,  would  ipso  facto  have  lost  his  father  and  mother; 
they  would  be  his  parents  no  more ;  and  beneath  the  pile  of  evi- 
dence his  child-life  would  be  buried. 

The  same  principle  applies  to  the  Holy  Scripture.  The  nature 
and  character  of  the  revelation  has  been  so  ordered  that  it  allows 
no  notarial  demonstration.  The  revelation  to  the  apostles  is  un- 
thinkable, if  other  persons  could  have  heard,  recorded,  and  pub- 
lished it  as  well  as  they.  It  was  an  operation  of  holy  energies,  not 
intended  to  compel  doubters  to  a  mere  outward  faith,  but  simply  to 
accomplish  that  for  which  God  had  sent  it,  without  caring  much  for 
the  contradiction  of  the  skeptics.  It  concerns  a  work  of  God  which 
legal  or  mathematical  investigation  can  not  fathom ;  which  mani- 
fests itself  upon  the  spiritual  domain  where  certainty  obtains  not  by 
outward  demonstration,  but  by  personal  faith  of  the  one  in  the  other. 

As  faith  in  father  and  mother  springs  not  from  mathematical 
demonstration,  but  from  the  contact  of  love,  the  fellowship  of  life, 
and  personal  trust  in  each  other,  even  so  here,  A  life  of  love  un- 
folded itself.  The  mercies  of  God  came  bending  down  to  us  in 
tender  compassion.  And  every  man  touched  by  this  divine  life  was 
affected  by  its  influence,  taken  up  by  it,  lived  in  it,  felt  himself  in 
sympathetic  fellowship  with  it;  and,  in  a  way  imperceptible  and 
not  understood,  obtained  a  certainty,  far  above  any  other,  that  he 
was  in  the  presence  of  facts,  and  that  they  were  divinely  revealed. 


CHARACTER  OF  NEW  TESTAMENT  SCRIPTURE  177 

And  such  is  the  origin  of  faith ;  not  supported  by  scientific 
proof,  for  then  it  would  be  no  faith,  which  has  mastered  the  reader 
of  the  Holy  Scripture  in  an  entirely  different  way.  The  existence 
of  the  Scripture  is  owing  to  an  act  of  the  unfathomable  mercies  of 
God;  and  for  this  reason  man's  acceptance  must  equally  be  an  act 
of  absolute  self-denial  and  gratitude.  It  is  only  the  broken  and 
contrite  heart,  filled  with  thankfulness  to  God  for  His  excellent 
mercy,  that  can  cast  itself  into  the  Scripture  as  into  its  life-element, 
and  feel  that  here  is  found  real  assurance,  casting  out  all  doubt. 

Hence  we  must  distinguish  a  threefold  operation  of  the  Holy 
Spirit  with  reference  to  faith  in  the  New  Testament  Scripture : 

First,  a  divine  working  giving  a  revelation  to  the  apostles. 

Second,  a  working  called  inspiration. 

Third,  a  working,  active  to-day,  creating  faith  in  the  Scripture 
in  the  heart  at  first  unwilling  to  believe. 

First  comes  revelation  proper. 

E.g.,  when  St.  Paul  wrote  his  treatise  on  the  resurrection  (i 
Cor.  XV.),  he  did  not  develop  that  truth  for  the  first  time.  Prob- 
ably he  had  apprehended  it  previously,  and  in  his  sermons  and 
private  correspondence  expounded  it.  Hence  the  revelation  ante- 
dates the  epistle.  It  belonged  to  the  things  of  which  Jesus  had 
said.  "  When  the  Holy  Spirit  has  come  He  shall  guide  you  into  all 
truth,  and  He  will  show  you  things  to  come."  And  he  received 
that  revelation  in  such  a  way  that  he  had  the  positive  conviction 
that  thus  the  Holy  Spirit  had  revealed  it  to  him,  and  that  thus  he 
would  see  it  in  the  Judgment  day. 

But  the  epistle  was  not  yet  written.  This  required  a  second  act 
of  the  Holy  Spirit — that  of  inspiration. 

Without  this  the  knowledge  that  St.  Paul  had  received  a  revela- 
tion would  be  useless.  What  warrant  should  we  have  that  he  had 
correctly  understood  and  faithfully  recorded  it?  He  might  have 
made  a  mistake  in  the  communication,  adding  to  it  or  taking  from 
it,  thus  making  it  an  unreliable  report.  Hence  inspiration  was  in- 
dispensable ;  for  by  it  the  apostle  was  kept  from  error  while  he  re- 
corded the  revelation  previously  received. 

Lastly,  the  spiritual  bond  must  be  created  connecting  the  soul 
and  the  consciousness  with  the  spiritual  realities  of  the  infallible 
Word  of  God — positive  conviction  of  spiritual  things. 

The  Holy  Spirit  accomplishes  this  by  the  implanting  of  faith, 

with  the  various  preparations  that  ordinarily  precede  the  breaking 
12 


178     HOLY  SCRIPTURES  IN  NEW  TESTAMENT 

forth  of  the  act  of  believing.  The  result  is  inward  conviction.  This 
is  not  wrought  by  referring  us  to  Josephus  or  Tacitus,  but  in  a 
spiritual  way.  The  content  of  the  Scripture  is  brought  to  the  soul. 
The  conflict  between  the  Word  and  the  soul  is  felt.  The  conviction 
thus  wrought  causes  us  to  see  not  that  the  Scripture  must  make 
room  for  us,  but  we  for  the  Scripture. 

In  the  discussion  of  regeneration  we  shall  refer  to  this  point  more 
largely.  For  the  present  we  shall  be  satisfied  if  we  have  succeeded 
in  showing  that  the  existence  of  the  New  Testament  Scripture  and 
our  faith  in  it  are  not  the  work  of  man,  but  a  work  in  which  the 
Jioly  Spirit  alone  must  be  honored. 


XTentb  Cbapter. 
THE  CHURCH  OF  CHRIST. 


XXXVI. 
The  Church  of  Christ. 

"  It  is  the  Spirit  that  beareth  wit- 
ness, because  the  Spirit  is 
truth." — I  John  v.  6. 

We  now  proceed  to  discuss  the  work  of  the  Holy  Spirit  wrought 
in  the  Church  of  Christ. 

Altho  the  Son  of  God  has  had  a  Church  in  the  earth  from  the 
beginning,  yet  the  Scripture  distinguishes  between  its  manifesta- 
tion before  and  after  Christ.  As  the  acorn,  planted  in  the  ground, 
exists,  altho  it  passes  through  the  two  periods  of  germinating  and 
rooting,  and  of  growing  upward  and  forming  trunk  and  branches, 
even  so  the  Church.  At  first  hidden  in  the  soil  of  Israel,  wrapped  in 
the  swaddling-clothes  of  its  national  existence,  it  was  only  on  the 
day  of  Pentecost  that  it  was  manifested  in  the  world. 

Not  that  the  Church  was  founded  only  on  Pentecost;  this  would 
be  a  denial  of  the  Old  Covenant  revelation,  a  falsification  of  the 
idea  of  Church,  and  an  annihilation  of  God's  election.  We  only 
say  that  on  that  day  it  became  the  Church  for  the  world. 

And  in  it  the  Holy  Spirit  has  wrought  a  very  comprehensive 
work. 

Not  its  formation,  however,  for  that  is  the  work  of  the  Triune 
God  in  the  divine  decree;  or,  speaking  more  definitely,  of  Jesus  the 
King  when  He  bought  His  people  with  His  own  blood. 

Indeed,  the  Spirit  of  God  regenerates  the  elect,  whom  He  does 
not  find  in  the  world,  but  already  in  the  Church.  Every  represen- 
tation as  tho  the  Holy  Spirit  gathers  the  elect  out  of  a  lost  world, 
and  so  brings  them  into  the  Church,  opposes  the  Scripture's  repre- 


\ 


180  THE   CHURCH    OF    CHRIST 

sentation  of  the  Church  as  an  organism.  Christ's  Church  is  a 
body,  and  as  the  members  grow  out  of  the  body  and  are  not  added 
to  it  from  without,  so  must  the  seed  of  the  Church  be  looked  for  in 
the  Church  and  not  in  the  world.  The  Holy  Spirit  works  that  only 
which  is  already  sanctified  in  Christ.  Hence  our  form  of  Baptism 
reads:  "  Do  you  acknowledge  that  altho  our  children  are  conceived 
and  born  in  sin,  and  therefore  are  subject  to  all  miseries,  yea  to  con- 
demnation itself:  yet  that  they  are  sanctified  in  Christ?" 

However,  since  regeneration  belongs  to  His  work  in  the  individ- 
ual, and  we  are  considering  now  His  work  in  the  Church  as  a  whole, 
as  a  community,  we  direct  our  attention,  in  the  first  place,  to  His 
work  of  imparting  spiritual  gifts,  particularly  those  called  "  charis- 
mata." Some  New  Testament  passages  speak  of  gifts  like  those 
offered  to  God  (Matt.  v.  23)-  "  If  thou  bring  thy  gift  to  the  altar"; 
or  gifts  communicated  to  others  (2  Cor.  viii.  9  and  Phil.  iv.  17); 
and  the  gift  of  salvation ;  but  those  we  do  not  consider. 

A  gift  offered  to  God  is  called  in  the  Greek  "  doron"  ;  imparted 
to  others,  it  is  commonly  called  "  charis"  ;  while  the  gift  of  grace 
is  usually  called  "  dorea."  Hence  these  gifts  are  distinct  from  those 
that  now  occupy  our  attention.  And  this  distinction  appears 
strongest  when  we  compare  the  gift  of  the  Holy  Spirit  with.  spiritua'L 
gifts.  The  Holy  Spirit  Himself  is  a  gift  of  grace.  But  when  He 
imparts  spiritual  gifts  He  adorns  us  with  holy  ornaments.  The 
first  refers  to  our  salvation  ;  the  last  to  our  talents. 

Referring  to  our  salvation,  the  Scripture  calls  it  a  free  and  gra- 
cious gift,  generally  "  dorea  "in  the  Greek,  which,  being  derived  from 
a  root  meaning  to  give,  denotes  that  we  were  not  entitled  to  it,  hav- 
ing neither  merited  nor  bought  it,  but  that  it  is  a  given  good.  St. 
Paul  exclaims:  "Thanks  unto  God  for  His  unspeakable  gift,"/>., 
of  salvation  (2  Cor.  ix.  15).  And  again:  "  Much  more  the  grace  of 
God  and  the  gift  of  grace,  which  is  by  one  man  Jesus  Christ,  hath 
abounded  unto  many."  "  Much  more  they  which  receiA?-e  abundance 
of  grace  and  the  gift  of  righteousness  shall  reign  in  life  by  one,  Jesus 
Christ"  (Rom.  v.  15.  17).  Andlastly:  "  But  unto  every  one  of  us  is 
given  grace  according  to  the  measure  of  the  gift  of  Christ"  (Ephes. 
iv.  7).* 

•It  should  be  noticed  that  in  Rom.  v.  15,  16;  vi.  23;  xi.  29,  the  word 
"charisma"  \%ioun6.  in  the  Greek  text,  referring  to  salvation.  The  rea- 
son is  that  these  passages  refer  not  to  the  graciousness  of  the  gift,  but  to 


THE   CHURCH    OF   CHRIST  i8i 

The  same  expression  is  used  invariably  for  the  imparting  of  the 
Holy  Spirit:  "  Ye  shall  receive  the  gift  of  the  Holy  Ghost"  (Acts  ii. 
38).  And:  "  Because  that  on  the  Gentiles  also  was  poured  out  the 
gift  of  the  Holy  Ghost"  (Acts  x.  45).  Hence  it  should  be  carefully 
noticed  that  this  has  nothing  to  do  with  the  subject  under  consid- 
eration. When  St.  Paul  speaks  of  faith  as  the  gift  of  God,  he  refers 
to  our  salvatiofi  and  God's  saving  work  in  the  soul.  But  the  gifts  of 
which  we  now  speak  are  wholly  different.  They  are  not  unto  sal- 
vation, but  to  the  glory  of  God.  They  are  lent  to  us  as  ornaments, 
that  we  should  show  their  beauty  as  talents  to  gain  other  talents 
therewith.  They  are  additional  operations  of  grace,  which  can  not 
take  the  place  of  the  proper  work  of  the  grace  of  salvation,  nor  con- 
firm it,  having  an  entirely  different  purpose.  The  work  of  grace  is 
for  our  07vti  salvation,  joy,  and  upbuilding;  the  charismata  are 
given  us  for  others.  The  first  implies  that  we  have  received  the 
Holy  Spirit;  the  latter  that  He  imparts  gifts  unto  us. 

Properly  speaking,  the  charismata  are  given  to  the  churches,  not 
to  individual  persons.  When  a  ruler  selects  and  trains  men  for 
officers  in  the  army,  it  is  evident  that  he  does  this  not  for  their 
personal  enjoyment,  honor,  and  aggrandizement,  but  for  the  effi- 
ciency and  honor  of  the  army.  He  can  search  for  men  with  talents 
for  the  military  service,  and  train  and  instruct  them ;  but  he  can 
not  create  such  talents.  If  this  were  possible,  every  king  would 
endow  his  generals  with  the  genius  of  a  Von  Moltke,  and  every  ad- 
miral would  be  a  De  Ruyter. 

But  Jesus  is  not  thus  limited.  He  is  independent;  unto  Him  all 
power  is  given  in  heaven  and  on  earth.  He  can  create  talents,  and 
freely  impart  them  to  whomsoever  He  will.  Hence,  knowing  what 
the  Church  requires  for  its  protection  and  upbuilding,  He  can  fully 
supply  all  its  need.  His  purpose  is  not  merely  to  please  or  enrich 
individuals,  much  less  to  give  to  some  what  He  withholds  from 
others ;  but  with  the  persons  thus  endowed  to  adorn  and  favor  the 
whole  Church.  We  do  not  put  a  lamp  upon  the  table  to  show  it  a 
special  favor  or  because  it  is  more  excellent  than  chair  or  stove ; 
but  simply  because  thus  it  serves  its  purpose,  and  the  whole  room 
is  lighted.  To  consider  the  charismata  as  intended  merely  to  adorn 
and  benefit  the  person  endowed  would  be  just  as  absurd  as  to  say : 

its  scintillating  brightness,  in  contrast  with  corruption  and  death.     "The 
wages  of  sin  is  death,  but  the  gift  of  God  is  eternal  life.  ** 


i82  THE   CHURCH    OF    CHRIST 

"I  light  the  fire  to  warm  not  the  room,  but  the  stove" ;  and  to  be 
jealous  of  the  charismata  given  to  others  in  the  Church  would  be 
just  as  foolish  as  for  the  table  to  be  jealous  of  the  stove  because  it 
gets  all  the  fire. 

The  charismata  must  therefore  be  considered  in  an  economical 
sense.  The  Church  is  a  large  household  with  many  wants ;  an  in- 
stitution to  be  made  efficient  by  the  means  of  many  things.  They 
are  to  the  Church  what  light  and  fuel  are  to  the  household;  not 
existing  for  themselves,  but  for  the  family,  and  to  be  laid  aside 
when  the  days  are  long  and  warm.  This  applies  directly  to  the 
charismata,  many  of  which,  given  to  the  apostolic  Church,  are  not 
of  service  to  the  Church  of  the  present  day. 

These  charismata  have  undoubtedly  more  or  less  an  official 
character.  God  has  instituted  offices  in  the  Church ;  not  in  a  me- 
chanical way,  or  depending  upon  robe  or  gown;  such  unspiritual 
conception  is  foreign  to  the  Scripture.  But  as  there  is  division  of 
labor  in  the  army  or  in  the  human  body,  so  there  is  in  the  Church. 

Take,  e.g.,  the  body.  It  must  be  protected  against  injury; 
blood  must  be  carried  to  muscles  and  nerves ;  venous  blood  must 
be  converted  into  arterial;  the  lungs  must  inhale  fresh  air,  etc. 
All  these  activities  are  laid  upon  the  various  members  of  the  body. 
Eye  and  ear  keep  watch ;  the  heart  propels  the  blood ;  the  lungs 
supply  the  oxygen,  etc.  And  this  can  not  be  changed  arbitrarily. 
The  lungs  can  not  watch ;  the  eye  can  not  supply  oxygen ;  the  skin 
can  not  propel  the  blood.  Hence  this  division  of  labor  is  neither 
arbitrary,  by  mutual  consent,  nor  a  matter  of  pleasure;  but  it  is 
divinely  ordained,  and  this  ordinance  must  not  be  ignored.  Hence 
the  eye  has  the  office  and  gift  of  watching  over  the  body ;  the  heart 
of  circulating  the  blood ;  the  lungs  of  supplying  fresh  air,  etc. 

And  this  applies  to  the  Church  in  every  respect.  That  great 
body  requires  the  doing  of  many  and  various  things  for  the  com- 
mon weal.  There  is  need  of  guidance,  of  prophesying,  of  heroism; 
mercy  must  be  exercised,  the  sick  must  be  healed,  etc.  And  this 
great,  mutual  task  the  Lord  has  divided  among  many  members. 
He  has  given  to  His  body,  the  Church,  eyes,  ears,  hands,  and  feet; 
and  to  each  of  these  organic  members  a  peculiar  task,  calling,  and 
office. 

Hence  to  be  called  to  an  office  simply  means  to  be  charged  by 
Jesus,  the  King,  with  a  definite  task.  You  have  done  some  work. 
Very  well,    but   how?     From    impulse,    or    in   obedience   to   the 


THE    CHURCH    OF    CHRIST  183 

charge  of  your  Sender?  This  makes  all  the  difference.  The  King 
may  send  us  in  the  ordinary  or  in  an  extraordinary  way.  Zacharias 
was  a  priest  of  the  course  of  Abijah ;  but  his  son  John  was  the  her- 
ald of  Christ  by  extraordinary  revelation.  The  Levite  served  by 
right  of  succession ;  the  prophet  because  he  was  chosen  of  God. 
But  this  makes  no  difference ;  called  in  the  one  way  or  the  other, 
the  office  remains  the  same,  so  long  as  we  have  the  assurance  that 
King  Jesus  has  called  and  ordained  us. 

For  this  reason  our  fathers  devoutly  spoke  of  an  office  of  all  be- 
lievers. In  Christ's  Church  there  are  not  merely  a  few  officials  and 
a  mass  of  idle,  unworthy  subjects,  but  every  believer  has  a  calling, 
a  task,  a  vital  charge.  And  inasmuch  as  we  are  convinced  that  we 
perform  the  task  because  the  King  has  laid  it  upon  us  not  for  our- 
selves, nor  even  from  the  motive  of  philanthropy,  but  to  serve  the 
Church,  to  this  extent  has  our  work  an  official  character,  altho  the 
world  denies  us  the  honor. 


XXXVII. 
Spiritual  Gifts. 

"  But  desire  earnestly  the  greater 
gifts.  And  a  still  more  excel- 
lent way  show  I  unto  you." — 
I  Cor.  xii.  31  (R.  V.). 

The  charismata  or  spiritual  gifts  are  the  divinely  ordained 
means  and  powers  whereby  the  King  enables  His  Church  to  per- 
form its  task  on  the  earth. 

The  Church  has  a  calling  in  the  world.  It  is  being  violently 
attacked  not  only  by  the  powers  of  this  world,  but  much  more  by 
the  invisible  powers  of  Satan.  No  rest  is  allowed.  Denying  that 
Christ  has  conquered,  Satan  believes  that  the  time  left  him  may  yet 
bring  him  victories.  Hence  his  restless  rage  and  fury,  his  incessant 
attacks  upon  the  ordinances  of  the  Church,  his  constant  endeavor 
to  divide  and  corrupt  it.  and  his  ever-repeated  denial  of  the  author- 
ity and  kingship  of  Jesus  in  His  Church.  Altho  he  will  never  suc- 
ceed entirely,  he  does  succeed  to  some  extent.  The  history  of  the 
Church  in  every  country  shows  it ;  it  proves  that  a  satisfactory  con- 
dition of  the  Church  is  highly  exceptional  and  of  short  duration, 
and  that  for  eight  out  of  ten  centuries  its  state  is  sad  and  deplor- 
able, cause  for  shame  and  grief  on  the  part  of  God's  people. 

And  yet  in  all  this  warfare  it  has  a  calling  to  fulfil,  an  appointed 
task  to  accomplish.  It  may  sometimes  consist  in  being  sifted  like 
wheat,  as  in  Job's  case,  to  show  that  by  virtue  of  Christ's  prayer 
faith  can  not  be  destroyed  in  its  bosom.  But  whatever  the  form  of 
the  task,  the  Church  always  needs  spiritual  power  to  perform  it;  a 
power  not  in  itself,  but  which  the  King  must  supply. 

Every  means  afforded  by  the  King  for  the  doing  of  His  work  is 
a  charisma,  a  gift  of  grace.  Hence  the  internal  connection  between 
work,  office,  and  gift. 

Wherefore  St.  Paul  says :  "  To  each  one  is  given  the  manifesta- 
tion of  the  Spirit  to  profit  withal,"  i.e.,  for  the  general  good  (?rp6f 


SPIRITUAL   GIFTS  ,85 

TO  avfi<pipov)  (1  Cor,  xii.  7).  And,  again,  still  more  clearly:  -  Even  so 
ye,  forasmuch  as  ye  are  zealous  of  spiritual  gifts,  seek  that  ye  may 
excel,  to  the  edifying  of  the  Church"  (i  Cor.  xiv.  12).  Hence  the 
petition,  "  Thy  Kingdom  come,"  which  the  Heidelberg  Catechism 
interprets :  "  Rule  us  so  by  Thy  Word  and  Spirit  that  we  may  sub- 
mit ourselves  more  and  more  to  Thee ;  preserve  and  increase  Thy 
Church;  destroy  the  works  of  the  devil,  and  all  violence  which 
would  exalt  itself  against  Thee,  and  also  all  wicked  counsels  de- 
vised against  Thy  Holy  Word,  till  the  full  perfection  of  the  King- 
dom takes  place,  wherein  Thou  shalt  be  all  in  all." 

It  is  wrong,  therefore,  to  consider  the  life  of  individual  believers 
too  much  by  itself,  separating  it  from  the  life  of  the  Church.  They 
exist  not  but  in  connection  with  the  body,  and  thus  they  become 
partakers  of  the  spiritual  gifts.  In  this  sense  the  Heidelberg  Cate- 
chism confesses  the  communion  of  saints :  "  First,  that  all  and  every 
one  who  believes,  being  members  of  Christ,  are  in  common  par- 
takers of  Him  and  of  all  His  riches  and  gifts;  secondly,  that  every 
one  must  know  it  to  be  his  duty  readily  and  cheerfully  to  employ 
his  gifts  for  the  advantage  and  salvation  of  other  members."  The 
parable  of  the  talents  has  the  same  aim ;  for  the  servant  who  with 
his  talent  failed  to  benefit  others  receives  a  terrible  judgment. 
Even  \.\^Q  hidden  %\iX.  must  be  stirred  up,  as  St.  Paul  says;  not  to 
boast  of  it  or  to  feed  our  pride,  but  because  it  is  the  Lord's  and  in- 
tended for  the  Church. 

St.  John  writing,  "  Ye  have  an  unction  from  the  Holy  One,  and 
ye  know  all  things"  (i  John  ii.  20),  and  "  Ye  need  not  that  any  man 
teach  you "  ( i  John  ii.  27),  does  not  mean  to  say  that  every  indi- 
vidual believer  possesses  the  full  anointing,  and  in  virtue  of  this 
knoweth  all  things.  For  if  this  were  so,  who  would  not  despair  of 
salvation,  nor  dare  say :  "  I  have  the  faith  "  ?  Moreover,  how  could 
the  statement,  "  Ye  need  not  that  any  man  teach  you,"  be  reconciled 
with  the  testimony  of  the  same  apostle,  that  the  Holy  Spirit  quali- 
fies teachers  appointed  by  Jesus  Himself?  Not  the  individual  be- 
liever, but  the  whole  Church  as  a  body  possesses  the  full  anointing 
of  the  Holy  One  and  knows  all  things.  The  Church  as  a  body 
needs  not  that  any  come  to  teach  it  from  without;  for  it  possesses 
all  the  treasure  of  wisdom  and  knowledge,  being  united  with  the 
Head,  who  is  the  reflection  of  the  glory  of  God,  in  whom  dwelleth 
all  wisdom. 

And  this  applies  not  to  the  Church  of  one  period,  but  of  all 


i86  THE   CHURCH    OF   CHRIST 

ages.  The  Church  of  to-day  is  the  same  as  in  the  day  of  the  apos- 
tles. The  life  lived  then  is  the  life  that  animates  it  now.  The 
gains  of  two  centuries  ago  belong  to  its  treasury,  as  well  as  those 
received  to-day.  The  past  is  its  capital.  The  wonderful  and  glo- 
rious revelation  received  by  the  Church  of  the  first  century  was 
given,  through  it,  to  the  Church  of  all  ages,  and  is  still  effectual. 
And  all  the  spiritual  strength  and  insight,  the  inward  grace,  the 
clearer  consciousness,  received  during  the  course  of  the  ages  are 
not  lost,  but  form  an  accumulated  treasure,  increasing  still  by  the 
ever-renewed  additions  of  spiritual  gifts. 

He  who  realizes  and  acknowledges  this  fact  feels  himself  rich 
and  blessed  indeed.  For  this  apostolic  view  of  the  matter  causes 
us  to  be  thankful  for  our  brother's  gift,  which  otherwise  we  might 
envy;  inasmuch  as  those  gifts  do  not  impoverish,  but  enrich  us. 
In  one  city  there  may  be  twelve  ministers  of  the  Word,  all  gifted 
in  various  directions.  According  to  the  natural  man,  each  will  be 
jealous  of  his  brother's  gifts  and  fear  that  his  talents  will  excel  his 
own.  But  not  so  among  the  Lord's  own  servants.  They  feel  that 
together  they  serve  one  Lord  and  one  flock,  and  bless  God  for  giv- 
ing them  together  what  the  leading  and  feeding  require.  In  an 
army  the  artillerist  is  not  jealous  of  the  cavalryman,  for  he  knows 
that  the  latter  is  for  his  protection  in  the  hour  of  danger. 

Moreover,  this  apostolic  standpoint  excludes  isolation;  for  it 
creates  the  longing  for  fellowship  with  distant  brethren,  even  tho 
they  walk  in  more  or  less  deviating  paths.  It  is  impossible,  Bible 
in  hand,  to  limit  Christ's  Church  to  one's  own  little  community.  It 
is  everywhere,  in  all  parts  of  the  world;  and  whatever  its  external 
form,  frequently  changing,  often  impure,  yet  the  gifts  wherever 
received  increase  our  riches. 

This  apostolic  standpoint  is  also  against  the  foolish  notion  that 
for  eighteen  centuries  the  Church  has  received  no  gifts  whatever; 
and  hence  that,  like  the  early  Church,  each  of  us  must  take  his 
Bible  to  formulate  his  own  confession.  That  standpoint  makes  one 
so  intensely  conscious  of  the  communion  of  spiritual  gifts  that  he 
can  not  but  appreciate  the  Church's  treasure  accumulated  during 
the  centuries.  In  fact,  Christ's  Church  has  received  greatest 
abundance  of  spiritual  gifts;  and  to-day  we  have  the  disposition 
not  only  of  the  gifts  of  the  churches  in  our  own  city,  but  of  all 
those  imparted  to  the  churches  elsewhere,  and  of  the  historic  capi- 
tal accumulated  during  eighteen  centuries. 


SPIRITUAL   GIFTS  187 

Hence  the  treasure  of  every  particular  church  is  threefold: 
First,  the  charismata  in  its  own  circle  ;  secondly,  those  given  to  other 
churches  j  and  lastly,  those  received  since  the  days  of  the  apostles. 

According  to  their  nature  these  spiritual  gifts  may  be  divided 
into  three  classes :  the  official,  the  extraordinary,  and  the  ordinary. 

St.  Paul  says :  "  To  one  is  given  through  the  Spirit  the  word  of 
wisdom,  and  to  another  the  word  of  knowledge,  according  to  the 
same  Spirit,  and  to  another  faith  by  the  same  Spirit;  and  to  another 
gifts  of  healing  in  the  one  Spirit;  and  to  another  workings  of  mira- 
cles, and  to  another  prophecy;  and  to  another  discerning  of  spirits; 
and  to  another  divers  kinds  of  tongues ;  and  to  another  the  inter- 
pretation of  tongues.  But  all  these  worketh  the  one  and  the  same 
Spirit,  dividing  to  each  one  severally  even  as  He  will"  (i  Cor.  xviii. 
8-1 1).  In  like  manner  the  apostle  speaks  to  the  Church  of  Rome: 
"  Having  then  gifts  differing  according  to  the  grace  that  is  given  to 
us,  whether  prophecy,  let  us  prophesy  according  to  the  proportion 
of  faith;  or  ministry,  let  us  wait  on  our  ministering;  or  he  that 
teacheth,  on  teaching;  or  he  that  exhorteth,  on  exhortation;  he 
that  giveth  let  him  do  it  with  simplicity ;  he  that  ruleth,  with  dili- 
gence; he  that  showeth  mercy,  with  cheerfulness"  (Rom.  xii.  6-8). 

From  these  passages  it  is  evident  that  among  these  charismata 
St.  Paul  assigns  the  first  place  to  the  gifts  pertaining  to  the  ordi- 
nary service  of  the  Church  by  its  ministers,  elders,  and  deacons. 
For  by  prophecy  St.  Paul  designates  animated  preaching,  wherein 
the  preacher  feels  himself  cheered  and  inspired  by  the  Holy  Spirit. 
By  "  teaching"  he  means  ordinary  catechizing.  "  Ministry"  refers  to 
the  management  of  the  temporalities  of  the  Church.  "  Giving"  has 
reference  to  the  care  for  the  poor  and  the  miserable.  "  He  that  rul- 
eth" refers  to  the  officers  in  charge  of  the  government  of  the  Church. 
These  are  the  ordinary  offices  embracing  the  care  of  the  spiritual 
and  temporal  affairs  of  the  Church. 

Then  follows  a  different  series  of  charismata,  viz.,  tongues, 
healing,  discernment  of  spirits,  etc.  These  non-official  gifts  divide 
themselves  into  two  classes — those  that  strengthen  the  gifts  of  sa- 
ving grace,  and  those  distinct  from  the  grace  of  salvation. 

The  former  are,  e.g.,  faith  and  love.  Without  faith  no  one  can 
be  saved.  It  is  therefore  the  portion  of  all  God's  children,  and  as 
such  not  a  "  cJuxrisma,"  but  a  "  dor  on."  But  while  all  have  faith,  God 
is  free  to  let  it  manifest  itself  more  strongly  in  the  one  than  in  an- 


i88  THE    CHURCH    OF    CHRIST 

other.  Of  one  degree  Scripture  says :  "  Believe  on  the  Lord  Jesus 
Christ,  and  thou  shalt  be  saved";  and  of  another:  "If  ye  have 
faith  as  a  grain  of  mustard-seed,  ye  shall  say  unto  this  mountain, 
Remove  hence  to  yonder  place,  and  it  shall  remove."  The  first 
works  internally,  the  other  externally.  For  this  reason  St.  Paul 
speaks  not  only  of  ministries  a.nd.  gifts,  but  also  of  "  workings,"  vfYiich. 
consist  in  a  more  vigorous  exercise  of  the  grace  which  the  believer 
as  such  possesses  already.  Where  the  faith  of  many  languishes, 
the  Lord  frequently  grants  extraordinary  workings  of  faith  to  some, 
thus  to  refresh  and  comfort  others.  The  same  is  true  of  love,  which 
also  is  the  portion  of  all,  but  not  in  the  same  effectual  degree.  And 
where  the  love  of  many  waxes  cold,  the  Lord  sometimes  quickens 
it  in  the  few  to  such  extent  that  others  see  it  and  are  provoked  to 
holy  jealousy. 

Besides  these  ordinary  charismata,  which  are  only  more  energetic 
manifestations  of  what  every  believer  possesses  in  the  germ,  the  Lord 
has  also  given  to  His  church  extraordinary  gifts,  working  partly  upon 
the  spiritual  and  partly  upon  the  physical  domain.  Of  the  latter 
are  the  charismata  of  self-restraint  and  healing  of  the  sick.  Of  the 
former  Christ  speaks  in  Matt.  xix.  1 2,  where  he  calls  such  persons 
"  eunuchs  for  the  sake  of  the  Kingdom."  St.  Paul  says  that  for  the 
sake  of  the  weak  brother  he  will  abstain  from  meat;  and  again, 
that  he  keeps  under  the  body,  bringing  it  into  subjection,  etc.  The 
charisma  of  healing  refers  to  the  glorious  gift  of  healing  the  sick : 
not  only  those  who  suffer  from  nervous  diseases  and  psychological 
ailments,  who  are  more  susceptible  to  spiritual  influences,  but  also 
those  whose  diseases  are  wholly  outside  the  spiritual  realm. 

Of  an  entirely  different  nature  are  the  extraordinary,  purely 
spiritual  charismata,  of  which  St.  Paul  mentions  five:  wisdom, 
knowledge,  discernment  of  spirits,  tongues  and  their  interpreta- 
tion. These  may  also  be  divided  in  two  classes,  inasmuch  as  the 
first  three  mentioned  are  also  found,  altho  in  a  different  form,  out- 
side of  the  Kingdom  of  God;  and  the  last  two,  which  present  a 
wholly  peculiar  phenomenon,  ivithiti  the  Kingdom.  Wisdom, 
knowledge,  and  discernment  of  spirits  exist  even  among  the 
heathen,  and  are  much  admired  by  those  who  reject  the  Christ. 
But  those  natural  gifts  appear  in  the  Church  in  a  different  way. 
The  charisma  of  wisdom  enables  one  without  much  investigation, 
with  great  tact  and  clearness,  to  understand  conditions  and  to  offer 
judicious  advice.      Knowledge  is  a  charisma  whereby   the   Holy 


SPIRITUAL   GIFTS  189 

Spirit  enables  one  to  acquire  an  unusually  deep  insight  into  the 
mysteries  of  the  Kingdom.  Discernment  of  spirits  is  a  charisma 
whereby  one  can  discern  between  the  genuine  spirits  raised  up  of 
God  and  those  that  only  pretend  to  be  such.  The  charisma  of 
tongues  we  have  discussed  at  length  in  the  twenty-eighth  article. 

The  charismata  now  existing  in  the  Church  are  those  pertaining 
to  the  ministry  of  the  Word ;  the  ordinary  charismata  of  increased 
exercise  of  faith  and  love;  those  of  wisdom,  knowledge,  and  dis- 
cernment of  spirits ;  that  of  self-restraint ;  and  lastly,  that  of  healing 
the  sick  suffering  from  nervous  and  psychological  diseases.  The 
others  for  the  present  are  inactive. 


XXXVIII. 
The  Ministry  of  the  Word. 

"He  shall  lead  you  into  all  truth." 
—John  xvi.  13. 

Let  us  now  consider  the  second  activity  of  the  Holy  Spirit  in 
the  Church,  which  we  prefer  to  designate  as  His  care-taking  of  the 
Word.  In  this  we  distinguish  three  parts,  viz. :  the  Sealing,  the 
Interpretatio7i,  and  the  Application  of  the  Word. 

In  the  first  place,  it  is  the  Holy  Spirit  who  seals  the  Word.  This 
has  reference  to  the  "  testimonium  Spiritus  Sancti,"  of  which  our 
fathers  used  to  speak  and  by  which  they  understood  the  operation 
whereby  He  creates  in  the  hearts  of  believers  the  firm  and  lasting 
conviction  concerning  the  divine  and  absolute  authority  of  the 
Word  of  God. 

The  Word  is,  if  we  may  so  express  it,  a  child  of  the  Holy  Spirit. 
He  has  brought  it  forth.  We  owe  it  entirely  to  His  peculiar  activ- 
ity. He  is  its  Auctor  Primarius,  i.e.,  its  Principal  Author.  And 
thus  it  can  not  seem  strange  that  He  should  exercise  that  motherly 
care  over  the  child  of  His  own  travail  whereby  He  enables  it  to 
fulfil  its  destiny.  And  this  destiny  is,  in  the  first  place,  to  be  believed 
in  by  the  elect;  secondly,  to  be  understood  by  them;  and  lastly,  to 
be  lived  by  them ;  three  operations  that  are  successively  effected  in 
them  by  the  sealing,  the  interpretation,  and  the  application  of  the 
Word.  The  sealing  of  the  Word  quickens  the  "  faith";  the  interpre- 
tation imparts  the  "  right  understanding  " ;  and  the  application  effects 
the  "living"  of  it. 

We  mention  the  sealing  of  the  Word  first,  for  without  faith  in 
its  divine  authority  it  can  not  be  God's  Word  to  us. 

The  question  is :  How  do  we  come  in  real  contact  and  fellowship 
with  the  Holy  Scripture,  which,  as  a  mere  external  object,  lies  before 
us? 

We  are  told  that  it  is  the  Word  of  God ;  but  how  can  this  become 
our  own  firm  conviction?     It  can  never  be  obtained  by  investigation. 


THE    MINISTRY   OF   THE    WORD  191 

In  fact,  it  ought  to  be  acknowledged  that  the  more  one  investigates 
the  Word  the  more  he  loses  his  simple  and  childlike  faith  in  it.  It 
can  not  even  be  said  that  the  doubt  created  by  superficial  inquiry 
will  be  dispelled  by  deeper  research ;  for  even  the  profound  scrutiny 
of  earnest  men  has  had  but  one  result,  viz.,  the  increase  of  interro- 
gation-points. 

We  can  not  in  this  way  examine  the  contents  of  the  Scripture 
without  destroying  it  for  ourselves.  If  one  wishes  to  examine  the 
contents  of  an  egg,  he  must  not  break  it,  for  then  he  disturbs  it  and 
it  is  an  egg  no  more ;  but  he  should  ask  them  that  know  about  it. 
In  like  manner  we  can  learn  the  truth  of  the  Scripture  only  by  seal- 
ing and  external  communication. 

For  suppose  that  the  final  verdict  of  science  will  eventually 
confirm  the  divine  authority  of  the  Scripture,  as  we  firmly  believe 
it  will,  what  would  that  avail  us  in  our  present  spiritual  need,  since 
during  our  short  life  science  will  not  reach  that  final  verdict?  And 
even  if  after  thirty  or  forty  years  we  should  see  it,  would  that  avail 
my  present  distress?  And  if  this  difficulty  could  also  be  removed, 
we  would  still  ask :  Is  it  not  cruel  to  give  spiritual  assurance  only 
to  Greek  and  Hebrew  scholars?  Do  not  men  see  and  understand, 
then,  that  the  evidence  of  the  divine  authority  of  the  Scripture  must 
come  to  us  in  such  a  manner  that  the  simplest  old  woman  in  the 
poorhouse  can  see  it  just  as  well  as  I  can? 

Hence  all  learned  investigation,  as  the  basis  for  spiritual  convic- 
tion, is  out  of  the  question.  He  who  denies  this  maltreats  souls  and 
introduces  an  offensive  clericalism.  For  what  is  the  result?  The 
notion  that  the  unscholarly  can  have  no  assurance  of  themselves; 
that  is  what  ministers  are  for;  they  have  studied  the  matter;  they 
ought  to  know,  and  the  simple  folk  must  believe  upon  their  authority. 

The  absurdity  of  this  notion  is  obvious.  In  the  first  place,  the 
learned  gentlemen  are  frequently  the  greatest  doubters.  Secondly, 
one  minister  almost  always  contradicts  what  another  has  laid  down 
as  the  truth.  And,  thirdly,  the  congregation,  treated  as  a  minor,  is 
delivered  again  into  the  power  of  men;  a  yoke  is  laid  upon  it  which 
our  fathers  could  not  bear;  and  the  mistake  is  made  of  trying  to 
prove  the  testimony  of  God  by  that  of  men. 

If  we  must  bear  a  yoke,  then  give  us  that  of  Rome  ten  times 
rather  than  that  of  the  scholars;  for  altho  Rome  puts  men  between 
us  and  the  Scripture,  they  speak  at  least  with  one  mouth.  They  all 
repeat  what  the  Pope  has  settled  for  them,  and  his  authority  rests 


192  THE   CHURCH    OF   CHRIST 

not  upon  his  scholarship,  but  upon  his  pretended  spiritual  illumina- 
tion. Hence  the  Roman  Catholic  priests  do  not  contradict  one 
another.  Neither  is  their  teaching  the  fancy  of  a  defective  learning, 
but  the  result  of  a  mental  development  that  Rome  attained  in  its 
most  excellent  men,  and  that  in  connection  with  the  spiritual  labor 
of  many  centuries. 

Of  all  clericalism,  that  of  the  intellectual  stamp  is  the  most  un- 
bearable; for  one  is  always  silenced  with  the  remark,  "You  don't 
know  Greek,"  or,  "  You  don't  read  Hebrew  " ;  while  the  child  of  God 
feels  irresistibly  ihaX  in  the  matters  that  concern  eternity,  Greek  and 
Hebrew  can  not  have  the  last  word.  And  this  apart  from  the  fact 
that  to  a  number  of  these  scholars  Professor  Cobet  might  say  in 
turn :  "  Dear  sir,  do  you  still  know  Greek  yourself?  "  Of  the  shallow 
knowledge  of  Hebrew  in  the  largest  number  of  cases,  it  is  better 
not  to  speak. 

No,  in  that  way  we  never  get  there.  To  make  the  divine  au- 
thority of  the  Holy  Scripture  real  to  us,  we  need  not  a  human,  but 
a  divine  testimony,  equally  convincing  to  the  simplest  and  to  the 
most  learned — a  testimony  that  must  not  be  cast  as  pearls  before 
swine,  but  be  limited  to  those  who  can  gather  from  it  noblest  fruit, 

\  viz.,  to  them  that  are  born  again. 

And  this  testimony  is  not  derived  from  the  Pope  and  his  priests, 
nor  from  the  theological  faculty  with  its  ministers,  but  comes  with 
the  sealing  from  the  Holy  Spirit  alone.  Hence  it  is  a  divine  testi- 
mony, and  as  such  stops  all  contradiction  and  silences  all  doubt. 
It  is  a  testimony  the  same  to  all,  belonging  to  the  peasant  in  the 
field  and  to  the  theologian  in  his  study.  Finally,  it  is  a  testimony 
which  they  alone  receive  who  have  open  eyes,  so  that  they  can  see 
spiritually. 

_^  However,  this  testimony  does  not  work  by  magic.  It  does  not 
cause  the  confused  mind  of  unbelief  suddenly  to  cry  out:  "  Surely 
the  Scripture  is  the  Word  of  God ! "    If  this  were  the  case,  the  way 

■  of  enthusiasts  would  be  open,  and  our  salvation  would  depend  again 
upon  a  pretended  spiritual  insight.  No,  the  testimony  of  the  Holy 
Spirit  works  in  an  entirely  different  way.  He  begins  to  bring  us 
into  contact  with  the  Word,  either  by  our  own  reading  or  by  the 
communication  of  others.  Then  He  shows  us  the  picture  of  the 
sinner  according  to  the  Scripture,  and  the  salvation  which  merci- 
fully saved  him;  and  lastly,  He  makes  us  hear  the  song  of  praise 
upon  his  lips.     And  after  we  have  seen  this  objectively,  with  the 


THE   MINISTRY   OF   THE   WORD  193 

eye  of  the  understanding.  He  then  so  works  upon  our  feeling  that 
we  begin  to  see  ourselves  in  that  sinner,  and  to  feel  that  the  truth 
of  the  Scripture  directly  concerns  us.  Finally,  He  takes  hold  of  the 
will,  causing  the  very  power  seen  in  the  Scripture  to  work  in  us. 
And  when  thus  the  whole  man,  mind,  heart,  and  will,  has  experi- 
enced the  power  of  the  Word,  then  He  adds  to  this  the  comprehen- 
sive operation  of  assurance,  whereby  the  Holy  Scripture  in  divine 
splendor  commences  to  scintillate  before  our  eyes. 

Our  experience  is  like  that  of  a  person  who,  from  his  brightly 
lighted  room,  looks  out  in  the  dusk.  At  first,  owing  to  the  bright- 
ness within,  he  sees  nothing.  But  blowing  out  his  light  and  look- 
ing out  once  more,  he  gradually  distinguishes  forms  and  figures, 
and  after  a  while  he  enjoys  the  soft  twilight.  Let  us  apply  this  to 
the  Word  of  God.  So  long  as  the  light  of  our  own  insight  flashes 
through  the  soul,  we,  looking  through  the  window  of  eternity,  fail 
to  perceive  anything.  It  is  all  wrapped  in  cloudy  darkness.  But 
when  at  last  we  prevail  upon  ourselves  to  extinguish  that  light,  and 
look  out  again,  then  we  see  a  divine  world  gradually  coming  up  out 
of  the  gloom,  and,  to  our  surprise,  where  at  first  we  saw  nothing 
we  now  see  a  glorious  realm  bathed  in  divine  light. 

And  thus  God's  elect  obtain  a  firm  assurance  concerning  the 
Word  of  God  that  nothing  can  shake,  of  which  no  learning  can  rob 
them.  They  stand  firm  as  a  wall.  They  are  founded  upon  a  rock. 
The  winds  may  howl  and  the  floods  descend,  but  they  fear  not. 
They  stay  upon  their  indestructible  faith,  not  only  as  a  result  of 
the  Holy  Spirit's  first  operation,  but  because  He  supports  the  con- 
viction continually.  Jesus  said,  "He  abideth  with  you  forever"; 
and  this  has  primary  reference  to  this  testimony  concerning  the 
Word  of  God.  In  the  believing  heart  He  testifies  continually: 
"  Fear  not,  the  Scripture  is  the  Word  of  your  God." 

However,  this  is  not  all  of  the  Holy  Spirit's  work  in  regard  to 
the  Word.     It  must  also  be  interpreted. 

And  He,  the  Inspirer,  alone  can  give  the  right  interpretation. 
If  among  men  each  is  the  best  interpreter  of  his  own  word,  how 
much  more  here  where  no  man  shall  ever  have  the  boldness  to  say 
that  he  understands  the  Spirit's  full  and  proper  meaning  as  well 
as  He  Himself,  if  not  better?  Even  if  the  authors  of  both  Testa- 
ments should  rise  from  the  dead  and  tell  us  the  meaning  of  their 
respective  Scriptures — even  that  would  not  be  the  full  and  deep  in- 


194  THE    CHURCH    OF    CHRIST 

terpretation.  For  they  wrote  things  the  comprehensive  meaning 
of  which  they  did  not  understand.  E.g.,  when  Moses  wrote  about 
the  serpent's  seed,  it  is  obvious  that  he  did  not  begin  to  see  all  that 
is  contained  in  the  "  bruising  of  his  heel." 

Hence  the  Holy  Spirit  alone  can  interpret  the  Scripture.  And 
how?  After  the  manner  of  Rome,  by  means  of  an  official  transla- 
tion as  the  Vulgate ;  an  official  interpretation  of  every  word  and 
sentence ;  and  an  official  condemnation  of  every  other  explanation? 
By  no  means.  This  would  be  very  easy,  but  also  very  unspiritual. 
Death  would  cleave  to  it.  The  full,  boundless  ocean  of  truth  would 
be  confined  within  the  narrow  limits  of  a  formula.  And  the  re- 
freshing fragrance  of  life,  which  always  meets  us  from  the  sacred 
page,  would  at  once  be  lost. 

Surely  the  churches  may  not  be  given  over  to  an  arbitrarj',  irre- 
sponsible translation  of  the  Word ;  and  we  greatly  appreciate  the 
mutual  care  of  the  churches  in  providing  a  correct  translation  in 
the  vernacular.  We  consider  it  even  highly  desirable  that,  under 
the  seal  of  their  approval,  the  churches  should  publish  expository 
marginal  readings.  But  neither  the  one  nor  the  other  should  ever 
replace  the  Scripture  itself.  Scriptural  research  must  ever  be  free. 
And  when  there  is  spiritual  courage,  then  let  the  churches  revise 
their  translation  and  see  whether  their  expository  readings  need 
modification.  Not,  however,  to  unsettle  things  every  three  years, 
but  that  in  every  period  of  vigorous,  animated,  spiritual  life  the 
light  of  the  Holy  Spirit  may  be  shed  in  larger  measure  upon  the 
things  that  always  need  more  light. 

Hence  the  work  of  the  Holy  Spirit  with  reference  to  interpreta- 
tion is  indirect,  and  the  means  employed  are  :  (i)  scientific  study; 
(2)  the  ministry  of  the  Word;  and  (3)  the  spiritual  experience  of 
the  Church.  And  it  is  by  the  cooperation  of  these  three  factors 
that,  in  the  course  of  ages,  the  Holy  Spirit  indicates  which  inter- 
pretation deviates  from  the  truth,  and  which  is  the  correct  under- 
standing of  the  Word. 

This  interpretation  is  followed  by  the  application. 

The  Holy  Scripture  is  a  wonderful  mystery,  which  is  intended 
to  meet  the  needs  and  conflicts  of  every  age,  nation,  and  saint. 
When  preparing  it  He  foreknew  those  ages,  nations,  and  saints,  and 
with  an  eye  to  their  necessities  He  so  planned  and  arranged  it  as  it 
is  now  offered  to  us.     And  only  then  will  the  Holy  Scripture  attain 


THE   MINISTRY   OF   THE   WORD  195 

the  end  in  view,  when  to  every  age,  nation,  church,  and  individual 
it  shall  be  applied  in  such  a  way  that  every  saint  shall  receive  at 
last  whatever  portion  was  reserved  for  him  in  the  Scripture. 
Hence  this  work  of  application  belongs  to  the  Holy  Spirit  alone,  for 
only  He  knows  the  relation  which  the  Scripture  must  sustain  at  last 
to  every  one  of  God's  elect. 

As  to  the  manner  in  which  the  work  is  performed,  it  is  either 
direct  or  indirect. 

The  indirect  application  comes  most  generally  through  the  min- 
istry, which  attains  its  highest  end  when  standing  before  his  con- 
gregation the  minister  can  say :  "  This  is  the  message  of  the  Word 
which  at  this  time  the  Holy  Spirit  intends  for  you."  An  awful  claim, 
indeed,  and  only  attainable  when  one  lives  as  deeply  in  the  Word 
as  in  the  Church.  Besides  this  there  is  also  an  application  of  the 
Word  brought  about  by  the  spoken  or  written  word  of  a  brother, 
which  sometimes  is  as  effectual  as  a  long  sermon.  The  quiet 
perusal  of  some  exposition  of  the  truth  has  sometimes  stirred  the 
soul  more  effectually  than  a  service  in  the  house  of  prayer. 

The  direct  application  of  the  Word  the  Holy  Spirit  effects  by 
the  reading  of  the  Scripture  or  by  remembered  passages.  Then  He 
brings  to  remembrance  words  deeply  affecting  us  by  their  singular 
power.  And,  altho  the  world  smiles  and  even  brethren  profess 
ignorance  concerning  it,  it  is  ovir  conviction  that  the  special  appli- 
cation of  that  moment  was  for  us  and  not  for  them,  and  that  in  our 
inward  souls  the  Holy  Spirit  performed  a  work  peculiar  to  Himself. 


XXXIX. 
The  Government  of  the  Church. 

"  No  man  can  say  that  Jesus  is 
the  Lord,  but  by  the  Holy 
Ghost." — I  Cor.  xii.  3. 

The  last  work  of  the  Holy  Spirit  in  the  Church  has  reference  to 
government. 

The  Church  is  a  divine  institution.  It  is  the  body  of  Christ, 
even  tho  manifesting  itself  in  a  most  defective  way ;  for  as  the  man 
whose  speech  is  affected  by  a  stroke  of  paralysis  is  the  same  friend- 
ly person  as  before,  in  spite  of  the  defect,  so  is  the  Church,  whose 
speech  is  impaired,  still  the  same  holy  body  of  Christ.  The  visible 
and  invisible  Church  are  one. 

We  have  written  elsewhere :  "  The  Church  of  Christ  on  earth  is 
at  once  visible  and  invisible.  Even  as  a  man  is  at  once  a  percept- 
ible and  imperceptible  being  without  being  therefore  two  beings, 
so  does  the  distinction  between  the  Church  visible  and  invisible  in 
no  wise  impair  its  unity.  It  is  one  and  the  same  Church,  which 
according  to  its  spiritual  being  is  hidden  in  the  spiritual  world, 
manifest  only  to  the  spiritual  eye,  and  which  according  to  its  yisu 
ble  form  manifests  itself  externally  to  believers  and  the  world. 

"  According  to  its  spiritual  and  invisible  being  the  Church  is  one 
in  all  the  earth,  one  also  with  the  Church  in  heaven.  In  like  man- 
ner it  is  also  a  holy  Church,  not  only  because  it  is  skilfully  wrought 
of  God,  dependent  entirely  upon  His  divine  influences  and  work- 
ings, but  also  because  the  spiritual  defilement  and  indwelling  sin 
of  believers  belong  not  to  it,  but  war  against  it.  According  to  its 
visible  form,  however,  it  manifests  itself  only  in  fragments.  Hence 
it  is  local,  i.e.,  widely  distributed;  and  the  national  churches  origi- 
nate because  these  local  churches  form  such  connection  as  their 
own  character  and  their  national  relations  demand.  More  exten- 
sive combinations  of  churches  can  only  be  temporal  or  exceedingly 
loose  and  flexible.     And  these  churches,  as  manifestations  of  the 


THE  GOVERNMENT  OF  THE  CHURCH   197 

invisible  church,  are  not  one,  neither  are  they  holy ;  for  they  par- 
take of  the  imperfections  of  all  earthly  life,  and  are  constantly  de- 
filed by  the  power  of  sin  which  internally  and  externally  under- 
mines their  well-being." 

Hence  the  subject  may  not  be  presented  as  tho  the  spiritual, 
invisible,  and  mystical  Church  were  the  object  of  Christ's  care  and 
government,  while  the  affairs  and  oversight  of  the  visible  Church 
are  left  to  the  pleasure  of  men.  This  is  in  direct  opposition  to  the 
Word  of  God.  There  is  not  one  visible  Church  and  another  invis- 
ible; but  one  Church,  invisible  in  the  spiritual,  and  visible  in  the 
material  world.  And  as  God  cares  both  for  body  and  soul,  so  does 
Christ  govern  the  external  affairs  of  the  Church  just  as  certainly 
as  with  His  grace  He  nourishes  it  internally. 

Christ  is  the  Lord;  Lord  not  only  of  the  soul,  but  before  He  can 
be  that  He  must  be  Lord  of  the  Church  as  a  whole. 

It  should  be  noticed  that  the  preaching  of  the  "Word  and  the  ad- 
ministration of  the  sacraments  belong  not  to  the  internal  economy 
of  the  Church,  but  to  the  external;  and  that  church  government 
serves  almost  exclusively  to  keep  the  preaching  pure  and  the  sacra- 
ments from  being  profaned.  Hence  it  is  not  expedient  to  say  :  "  If 
the  Word  of  God  be  only  preached  in  its  purity  and  the  sacraments 
rightly  administered,  the  church  order  is  of  minor  importance  " ;  elim- 
inate these  two  from  the  church  order  and  very  little  remains  of  it. 

The  question  is,  therefore,  whether  these  means  of  grace  are  to 
be  arranged  according  to  our  pleasure,  or  according  to  the  will  of 
Jesus.  Does  He  allow  us  to  trifle  with  them  according  to  our  own 
notions,  or  does  He  rebuke  and  abhor  all  self-willed  religion?  If 
the  last,  then  also  He  must  from  heaven  direct,  govern,  and  care  for 
His  Church. 

However,  He  does  not  compel  us  in  this  matter;  He  has  left  us 
the  awful  liberty  of  acting  against  His  Word  and  of  substituting 
our  form  of  government  for  His  own.  And  that  is  the  very  thing 
which  misguided  Christendom  has  done  again  and  again.  Through 
unbelief,  not  seeing  the  King,  it  has  frequently  ignored,  forgotten, 
deposed  Him ;  it  has  established  its  own  self-willed  regime  in  His 
Church,  until  at  last  the  very  remembrance  of  the  lawful  Sovereign 
has  been  lost. 

The  individual  church,  still  mindful  of  the  kingship  of  Jesus, 
professes  to  bow  unconditionally  to  His  kingly  Word  as  contained 
in  the  Scripture.     Therefore,  we  say  that  in  the  state  church  of  the 


198  THE    CHURCH    OF    CHRIST 

Netherlands,  whose  church  order  not  only  lacks  such  profession, 
but  lays  the  supreme  legislative  power  exclusively  upon  men, 
Christ's  Kingship  is  mocked;  that  a  pretender  has  usurped  His 
place,  who  must  be  removed  as  surely  as  it  is  written :  "  Yet  have  I 
set  My  King  upon  My  holy  hill  of  Zion." 

Hence  it  must  be  maintained  firmly  and  fearlessly  that  Jesus  is 
not  only  the  King  of  souls,  but  also  King  in  His  Church ;  whose 
absolute  prerogative  it  is  to  be  the  Lawgiver  in  His  Church ;  and 
that  the  power  which  contests  that  right  must  be  opposed  for  con- 
science* sake. 

To  the  question,  why  the  Church  is  so  apt  to  forget  the  Kingship 
of  Christ,  so  that  many  a  godly  minister  has  not  the  slightest  feeling 
for  it,  often  saying:  "Surely  Jesus  is  King  in  the  realm  of  truth, 
but  what  does  He  care  for  the  external  church?  I,  at  leaFt,  a 
spiritual  man,  never  attend  the  meetings  of  the  official  board  " ;  we 
answer:  "  If  Jesus  had  an  earthly  throne  and  thence  reigned  person- 
ally over  His  Church,  all  men  would  bow  before  Him ;  but  being 
enthroned  in  heaven  at  the  right  hand  of  the  Father,  the  King  is 
forgotten ;  out  of  sight,  out  of  mind.  Hence  ignorance  coficertiing  the 
work  0/ the  Holy  Spirit  is  the  cause.  Since  Jesus  governs  His  Church 
not  directl5\  but  by  His  Word  and  Spirit,  there  is  no  respect  for  the 
majesty  of  His  sovereign  government. 

The  spiritual  eye  of  the  believer  must  therefore  be  reopened 
for  the  work  of  the  Holy  Spirit  in  the  churches.  The  unspiritual 
man  has  no  eye  for  it.  A  consistory,  classis,  or  synod  is  to  him 
merely  a  body  of  men  convened  to  transact  business  according  to 
their  own  light,  the  same  as  a  meeting  of  the  directors  of  a  board  of 
trade,  or  some  other  secular  organization.  One  is  a  shareholder 
and  a  committeeman,  and  as  such  assists  in  the  administration  of 
affairs  to  the  best  of  his  ability.  But  to  the  child  of  God,  with  an 
eye  for  the  work  of  the  Holy  Spirit,  these  church  assemblies  assume 
an  entirely  different  aspect.  He  acknowledges  that  this  consistory 
is  no  consistory,  this  classis  no  classis,  this  synod  only  apparently 
so,  except  the  Holy  Spirit  preside  and  decide  matters  together  with 
the  members. 

The  opening  prayer  of  consistory,  classis,  or  synod  is  therefore 
not  the  same  as  that  of  the  Y.  M.  C.  A.,  or  of  a  missionary  conven- 
tion, simply  a  prayer  for  light  and  help,  but  an  entirely  different 
thing.  It  is  the  petition  that  the  Holy  Spirit  stand  in  the  midst  of 
the  assembly.     For  without  Him  no  ecclesiastical  meeting  is  com- 


THE    GOVERNMENT   OF   THE    CHURCH       199 

plete.  It  can  not  be  held  except  He  be  present.  Hence  in  the 
liturgical  prayer  at  the  opening  of  consistory,  there  is  first  a  peti- 
tion for  the  Holy  Spirit's  presence  and  leadership;  secondly,  the 
confession  that  the  members  can  do  nothing  without  His  presence ; 
and  thirdly,  a  pleading  of  the  promises  to  office-bearers. 

The  prayer  reads :  "  Since  we  are  at  present  assembled  in  Thy 
Holy  Name,  after  the  example  of  the  apostolic  churches,  to  consult, 
as  our  office  requires,  about  those  things  which  may  come  before 
us,  for  the  welfare  and  edification  of  Thy  churches,  for  which  we 
acknowledge  ourselves  unfit  and  incapable,  as  we  are  by  nature  un- 
able of  ourselves  to  think  any  good,  much  less  to  put  it  into  practise, 
— therefore  we  beseech  Thee,  O  Faithful  God  and  Father,  that  Thou 
wilt  be  pleased  to  be  present  with  Thy  Spirit  according  to  Thy  prom- 
ise, in  the  midst  of  our  present  assembly,  to  guide  us  in  all  truth." 

In  the  prayer  at  the  close  of  the  consistory  there  follows  the  ex- 
press giving  of  thanks  that  the  Holy  Spirit  was  present  in  the 
meeting : 

"  Moreover,  we  thank  Thee  that  Thou  now  hast  been  present 
with  Thy  Holy  Spirit  in  the  midst  of  our  assembly,  directing  our 
determinations  according  to  Thy  will,  uniting  our  hearts  in  mutual 
peace  and  concord.  We  beseech  Thee,  O  faithful  God  and  Father, 
that  Thou  wilt  graciously  be  pleased  to  bless  our  intended  labor 
and  effectually  to  execute  Thy  begun  work ;  always  gathering  unto 
Thyself  a  true  church  and  preserving  the  same  in  the  pure  doctrine 
and  in  the  right  use  of  Thy  holy  sacraments,  and  in  a  diligent  exer- 
cise of  discipline." 

Hence  church  government  signifies : 

First,  that  King  Jesus  institutes  the  offices  and  appoints  the  in- 
cumbents. 

Secondly,  that  the  churches  submit  themselves  unconditionally 
to  the  fundamental  law  of  His  Word. 

Thirdly,  that  the  Holy  Spirit  come  in  the  assembly  to  direct  the 
deliberations;  as  Walaeus  expressed  it:  "  That  the  Holy  Spirit  per- 
sonally may  stand  behind  the  president  to  preside  in  every  meet- 
ing." And  this  saying  is  so  rich  in  meaning  that  we  would  seri- 
ously ask,  whether  it  is  not  yet  plain  that  a  mere  change  of  officers 
avails  not,  so  long  as  the  organization  itself  is  not  agreeable  to  the 
Word  of  God.  The  question  is  not  whether  better  7nen  come  in  power, 
but  whether  the  Holy  Spirit  preside  in  the  assembly ;  which  He  can 
not  do  except  the  Word  of  God  be  the  only  rule  and  authority. 


THE 


WORK  OF  THE  HOLY  SPIRIT 

VOLUME  TWO 
The  Work  of  the  Holy  Spirit  in   the  Individual 


first  Cbapter. 
INTRODUCTION. 


I. 
The  Man  to  be  Wrought  upon. 

'•  Behold,  I  will  pour  out  My  Spirit 
unto  you,  I  will  make  known 
My  words  unto  you." — Prov. 
\.  23. 

The  discussion  so  far  has  been  confined  to  the  Holy  Spirit's 
work  in  the  Church  as  a  whole.  We  now  consider  His'  work  in 
individual  persons. 

There  is  a  distinction  between  the  Church  as  a  whole  and  its 
individual  members.  There  is  a  £ody  of  Christ,  and  there  are  mem- 
bers which  constitute  a  part  of  that  Body.  And  the  character  of 
the  Holy  Spirit's  work  in  the  one  is  necessarily  different  from  that 
in  the  other. 

The  Church,  born  of  the  divine  pleasure,  is  complete  in  the 
eternal  counsel,  and  sovereign  choice  has  prepared  all  its  course. 

The  same  God  who  has  numbered  the  hairs  of  our  head  has  also 
numbered  the  members  of  Christ's  Body.  As  every  natural  birth 
is  foreordained,  so  is  every  Christian  birth  in  the  Church  divinely 
predestinated. 

The  origin  and  awakening  of  eternal  life  are  from  above ;  not 
from  the  creature,  but  from  the  Creator,  and  are  rooted  in  His  free 
and  sovereign  choice.  And  it  remains  not  merely  a  choice,  but  is 
followed  by  a  divine  acf  equally  decisive  that  enforces  and  realizes 
that  choice. 

That  is  God's  spiritual  omnipotence.  He  is  not  as  a  man  who  ex- 
periments, but  He  is  God  who,  never  forsaking  the  work  of  His  hands, 
is  persistent  and  irresistible  in  the  doing  of  all  His  pleasure.  Hence 
His  counsel  becomes  history ;  and  the  Church,  whose  form  is  otitlined 


204  INTRODUCTION 

in  that  counsel,  must  in  the  course  of  ages  be  bom,  increase,  and 
perfect  itself  according  to  that  counsel ;  and  since  that  counsel  is 
indestructible  the  gates  of  hell  shall  not  prevail  against  the  Church. 
This  is  the  ground  of  the  security  and  consolation  of  the  saints. 
They  have  no  other  ground  of  trust.  From  the  fact  that  God  is 
God,  and  that  therefore  His  pleasure  shall  stand,  they  draw  the 
sure  conviction  with  which  they  prophesy  against  all  that  is  visible 
and  phenomenal. 

In  the  work  of  grace  there  is  no  trace  of  chance  or  fatalism ;  God 
has  determined  not  only  the  final  issue,  leaving  the  way  by  which 
it  is  to  be  attained  undecided,  but  in  His  counsel  He  has  prepared 
every  means  to  realize  His  choice.  And  in  that  counsel  ways  dis- 
close themselves  which  human  eye  can  not  trace  nor  fathom.  The 
divine  omnipotence  adapts  itself  to  the  nature  of  the  creature.  It 
causes  the  cedars  of  Lebanon  to  grow  and  the  bulls  of  Bashan  to 
increase ;  but  it  feeds  and  strengthens  each  according  to  its  nature. 
The  cedar  eats  no  grass,  and  the  ox  does  not  burrow  in  the  ground 
for  food. 

The  divine  ordinance  requires  that  by  its  roots  the  tree  shall  ab- 
sorb the  juices  from  the  ground,  and  that  by  the  mouth  the  ox  shall 
take  his  food  and  convert  it  into  blood.  And  He  honors  His  own 
ordinance  bj'  providing  food  in  the  soil  for  the  one,  and  grass  in  the 
field  for  the  other. 

The  same  principle  prevails  in  the  Kingdom  of  Grace.  To  man 
as  a  subject  of  that  Kingdom,  and  of  the  moral  world  belonging  to 
it,  God  has  given  another  organism  than  to  the  ox,  cedar,  wind,  or 
stream.  The  movements  of  the  latter  are  purely  mechanical ;  from 
the  steep  mountain  the  stream  must  fail.  In  a  different  way  He  acts 
upon  ox  and  tree ;  and  in  still  another  way  upon  man.  In  the  hu- 
man body  chemical  forces  work  mechanically,  and  other  forces  like 
those  in  the  ox  and  cedar.  And  besides  these  there  are  in  man 
moral  forces  which  God  operates  also  according  to  their  nature. 

Upon  this  ground  our  fathers  rejected  as  unworthy  of  God  the 
fanatical  view  that  in  the  work  of  grace  man  is  a  stock  or  block; 
not  because  it  attributes  something  to  man,  but  because  it  repre- 
sents God  as  denying  His  own  work  and  ordinance.  Creating  an  ox 
or  a  tree  or  stone  each  different  from  the  other,  giving  each  a  na- 
ture of  its  own,  it  follows  that  He  can  not  violate  this,  but  must 
adapt  Himself  to  it.  Hence  all  His  spiritual  operations  are  subject 
to  the  divinely  ordained  dispositions  in  man  as  a  spiritual  being; 


THE    MAN   TO    BE    WROUGHT    UPON         205 

and  this  feature  makes  the  work  of  grace  exceedingly  beautiful, 
glorious,  and  adorable. 

For  let  us  not  deceive  ourselves  and  speak  any  longer  of  a  glo- 
rious work  of  grace  if  the  omnipotent  God  treats  man  mechanically, 
as  a  stock  or  block.  Then  there  is  no  mystery  for  angels  to  look 
into,  but  an  immediate  work  of  omnipotence  breaking  down  and 
creating  anew.  To  admire  the  work  of  grace  we  should  take  it  as 
it  is  revealed,  i.e.,  as  a  complicated,  unsearchable  work  by  which, 
violating  nothing,  God  adapts  Himself  to  the  delicate  and  manifold 
needs  of  man's  spiritual  being;  and  reveals  His  divine  omnipotence 
in  the  victory  over  the  endless  and  gigantic  obstacles  which  human 
nature  puts  in  His  way. 

Even  the  heart  of  God  thirsts  after  love.  His  entire  counsel 
may  be  reduced  to  one  thought,  viz.,  that  in  the  end  of  the  ages 
He  may  have  a  Church  which  shall  understand  His  love  and  return 
it.  But  love  can  not  be  ordered,  neither  can  it  be  forced  in  an  un- 
spiritual  way.  It  can  not  be  poured  out  in  a  man's  heart  mechani- 
cally. To  be  warm,  refreshing,  and  satisfying,  love  must  be  quick- 
ened, cultivated,  and  cherished.  Hence  God  does  not  instil  an 
ounce  of  love  into  His  people's  hearts,  in  consequence  of  which 
they  love  Him,  but  He  exhibits  love  to  such  an  extent  that  He,  who 
was  from  the  beginning  with  God  and  was  God,  in  unfathomable 
love  dies  for  men  on  the  cross. 

This  would  have  been  superfluous  if  man  were  a  stock  or  block. 
Then  God  would  only  have  had  to  create  love  in  his  heart,  and  men 
would  have  loved  Him  from  sheer  necessity,  as  a  stove  emits  heat 
when  the  fire  is  lighted.  But  the  love  so  warmly  portrayed  in 
Scripture  is  not  superfluous,  when  God  deals  with  spiritual  crea- 
tures spiritually.  Then  the  cross  of  Christ  is  a  manifestation  of 
divine  love  far  surpassing  all  human  conceptions;  hence  exercising 
such  irresistible  power  upon  all  God's  elect. 

And  that  which  is  preeminently  true  and  apparent  in  love  is 
equally  true  of  every  part  of  the  work  of  grace  in  all  its  stages.  In 
it  God  never  denies  Himself,  nor  the  ordinance  and  plan  after  which 
man  was  created.  Hence  it  is  its  glory  that,  while  on  the  one  hand 
God  granted  man  the  strongest  means  of  resistance,  on  the  other 
He  overcame  that  resistance  in  a  divine  and  kingly  way  by  the  om- 
nipotence of  redeeming  grace. 

When  the  apostle  testifies,  "  We  pray  you  in  Christ's  stead,  as 
tho  God  did  beseech  you  by  us,  be  ye  reconciled  to  God,"  he  reveals 


206  INTRODUCTION 

such  a  depth  of  the  mystery  of  love  that  finally  the  relations  are 
literally  reversed,  and  the  holy  God  beseeches  His  rebellious  crea- 
ture, who  instead  should  cry  to  Him  for  mercy. 

Tradition  speaks  of  the  fascination  of  mysterious  beings  exerted 
upon  travelers  and  mariners  so  irresistibly  that  the  latter  cast 
themselves  willingly  and  yet  against  their  will  into  destruction. 
In  love's  revelation  this  tradition  in  a  reversed  and  holy  manner 
has  become  a  reality.  Here  also  is  an  almighty  power  of  fascina- 
tion, in  the  end  irresistible  to  the  condemned  sinner ;  but  allowing 
himself  to  be  drawn  unwillingly  and  yet  willingly,  eternal  pity 
draws  him  not  into  destruction,  but  out  of  it. 

However,  the  wonderful  workings  of  love  can  scarcely  be  ana- 
lyzed. Lovers  never  know  who  has  attracted  and  who  has  been 
attracted,  nor  how  in  the  struggle  of  the  affections  love  performed 
its  drawings.  Love's  being  is  too  mysterious  to  reveal  its  various 
workings  and  how  they  succeed  one  another.  And  this  applies  in 
far  gpreater  measure  to  the  love  of  God.  Every  saint  knows  by  ex- 
perience that  at  last  it  became  irresistible,  and  prevailed.  But  how 
the  victory  was  achieved  can  not  be  told.  This  divine  work  comes 
to  us  from  such  infinite  heights  and  depths,  it  affects  us  so  myste- 
riously, and  in  the  beginning  there  was  such  utter  lack  of  spiritual 
light  that  one  can  scarcely  more  than  stammer  of  these  things. 
Who  comprehends  the  mystery  of  the  natural  birth?  Who  had 
knowledge  when  he  was  being  curiously  embroidered  in  the  lowest 
parts  of  the  earth?  And  if  this  took  place  without  our  conscious- 
ness, how  can  we  understand  our  spiritual  birth?  Indeed,  subjec- 
tively, i.e.,  depending  upon  our  own  experience,  we  know  absolute- 
ly nothing  of  it ;  and  all  that  ever  was  or  can  be  said  about  it  is 
taken  exclusively  from  Scripture.  It  has  pleased  the  Lord  to  lift 
only  a  comer  of  the  veil  covering  this  mystery — no  more  than  the 
Holy  Spirit  deemed  necessary  for  the  support  of  our  faith,  for  the 
glory  of  God  and  the  benefit  of  others  in  the  hour  of  their  spiritual 
birth. 

Wherefore  in  this  series  of  articles  we  will  try  only  to  systema- 
tize and  explain  what  God  has  revealed  for  the  spiritual  direction 
of  His  children. 

Nothing  is  further  from  our  minds  than  to  exercise  ourselves  in 
things  too  high  for  us,  or  to  penetrate  into  mysteries  hid  from  our 
view.  Where  Scripture  stops  we  shall  stop;  to  the  difficulties  left 
unexplained,  we  shall  not  add  what  must  be  only  the  result  of  hu- 


THE   MAN    TO   BE   WROUGHT   UPON         207 

man  folly.  But  where  Scripture  proclaims  unmistakably  Jehovah's 
sovereign  power  in  the  work  of  grace,  there  neither  the  criticism 
nor  the  mockery  of  men  will  prevent  us  from  demanding  absolute 
submission  to  the  divine  sovereignty  and  giving  glory  to  His  Name. 


II. 

The  Work  of  Grace  a  Unit. 

"  Because  the  love  of  God  is  shed 
abroad  in  our  hearts  by  the 
Holy  Ghost,  which  is  gfiven 
unto  us." — Rom.  v.  5. 

The  final  end  of  all  God's  ways  is  that  He  may  be  all  in  all.  He 
can  not  cease  from  working  until  He  has  entered  the  souls  of  indi- 
vidual men.  He  thirsts  after  the  creature's  love.  In  man's  love 
for  God  He  desires  to  see  the  virtues  of  His  own  love  glorified. 
And  love  must  spring  from  man's  personal  being,  which  has  its  seat 
in  the  heart. 

The  work  of  grace  exhibited  in  the  eternal  counsel  can  never  be 
sufficiently  praised.  From  Paradise  to  Patmos,  revealed  to  prophets 
and  apostles,  it  is  transcendently  rich  and  glorious.  Prepared  in 
Immanuel,  who  ascended  on  high,  who  has  received  gifts  for  men, 
yea.  for  the  rebellious  also,  that  the  Lord  God  might  dwell  among 
them,  it  exceeds  the  praise  of  men  and  angels.  And  yet  its  highest 
glory  and  majesty  appear  only  when,  overcoming  the  rebellious, 
operating  in  the  soul,  it  causes  its  light  so  to  shine  that  men, .see- 
ing it,  glorify  the  Father  which  is  in  heaven. 

Hence  the  outpouring  of  the  Holy  Spirit  is  the  crowning  event 
of  all  the  great  events  of  salvation,  because  it  reveals  subjectively, 
i.e.,  in  individual  persons,  the  grace  revealed  hitherto  objectively. 

Assuredly  in  the  days  of  the  Old  Covenant  saving  grace  wrought 
in  individuals,  but  it  always  bore  a  preliminary  and  special  charac- 
ter. Old-Covenant  believers  "  received  not  the  promise,  that  they 
without  us  should  not  be  made  perfect."  And  the  dispensation  of 
personal  salvation,  in  its  normal  character,  began  only  when,  the 
work  of  reconciliation  being  finished,  Immanuel  risen,  the  other 
Comforter  had  come  inwardly  to  enrich  the  members  of  the  Body 
of  Christ. 

Hence  the  purpose  of  the  Triune  God  steadily  urges  to  this 


THE   WORK    OF   GRACE    A    UNIT  209 

glorious  consummation.  The  divine  compassion  can  not  cease 
from  working  so  long  as  the  work  of  saving  the  individual  soul  is 
not  begun.  In  all  the  preparatory  work  God  aims  persistently  at 
His  elect;  not  only  after  the  fall,  but  even  before  creation,  His  wis- 
dom rejoiced  in  His  earthly  world,  and  "  His  delights  were  with  the 
sons  of  men."  From  eternity  He  foreknows  all  in  whom  His  glo- 
rious light  shall  once  be  kindled.  They  are  no  strangers  to  Him, 
discovered  only  after  the  lapse  of  ages,  upon  examination  either  to 
be  passed  by  as  unprofitable,  or  to  be  wrought  upon  as  proper  and 
useful  subjects,  according  to  their  respective  merits;  no,  our  faith- 
ful Covenant  God  never  stands  as  a  stranger  before  any  of  His  crea- 
tures. He  created  them  all  and  ordained  how  they  should  be  cre- 
ated ;  they  are  not  first  created,  then  ordained ;  but  ordained,  then 
created.  Even  then  the  creature  is  not  independent  of  the  Lord, 
but  before  there  is  a  word  upon  his  tongue  He  knoweth  it  alto- 
gether; not  by  information  of  what  already  existed,  but  by  divine 
knowledge  of  what  was  to  come.  Even  the  relations  of  cause  and 
effect  connecting  the  various  parts  of  his  life  lie  naked  and  open 
before  Him;  nothing  is  hid  from  Him;  and  much  more  intimately 
than  man  knows  himself,  God  knows  him. 

The  waters  of  salvation  descending  from  the  mountain-tops  of 
God's  holiness  do  not  flow  toward  unknown  fields,  but  their  channel 
is  prepared,  and  leaping  over  the  mountain-sides  they  greet  the 
acres  below  which  they  are  to  water. 

Hence,  altho  clearness  demands  divisions  and  subdivisions  in  the 
work  of  grace,  yet  they  do  not  actually  exist ;  the  work  of  grace  is 
a  unit,  it  is  one  eternal,  uninterrupted  act,  proceeding  from  the 
womb  of  eternity,  unceasingly  moving  toward  the  consummation  of 
the  glory  of  the  children  of  God  which  shall  be  revealed  in  the  great 
and  notable  Day  of  the  Lord.  For  instance,  altho  in  the  moment 
of  regeneration  God  calleth  the  things  that  are  not,  with  all  that 
they  contain  as  in  a  germ,  yet  it  should  not  be  represented  as  tho 
He  had  neglected  that  soul  for  twenty  or  thirty  years.  For  even 
this  apparent  neglect  is  a  divine  work.  Constrained  by  His  love 
He  would  rather  have  turned  to  His  chosen  but  lost  creature  imme- 
diately, to  seek  and  save  it.  But  He  refrained  Himself,  if  we  may 
so  express  it;  for  this  very  neglect,  this  hiding  of  His  countenance 
works  together  as  a  means  of  grace,  in  the  hour  of  love,  to  make 
grace  efficient  in  that  soul. 

Hence  the  salvation  of  a  soul  in  its  personal  being  is  an  eternal. 


2IO  INTRODUCTION 

tinintentipted,  continuous  act,  whose  starting-point  lies  in  the  de- 
cree whose  end  is  in  the  glorification  before  the  throne.  It  con- 
tains nothing  formal  or  mechanical.  There  is  not  a  period  of 
eighteen  centuries  first,  during  which  God  is  occupied  with  the  prep- 
aration of  objective  grace,  without  a  single  gracious  work  in  indi- 
vidual souls.  Neither  is  there  salvation  prepared  only  for  possible 
souls  whose  salvation  was  still  uncertain.  Nay,  the  love  of  God 
never  works  toward  the  unknown.  He  is  perfect,  and  His  way  is 
perfect ;  hence  His  love  always  bears  the  high  and  holy  mark  of 
proceeding  from  heart  to  heart,  from  person  to  person,  knowing 
and  reading  one  with  perfect  knowledge.  During  all  the  day 
while  Cain  was  being  judged ;  while  Noah  and  his  eight  were  safe 
in  the  ark ;  while  Abraham  was  called,  and  Moses  talked  with  Jeho- 
vah face  to  face ;  while  the  seers  were  prophesying,  the  Baptist  ap- 
peared in  public,  Jesus  ascended  Calvary,  and  St.  John  was  seeing 
visions — throughout  all  those  ages  God  foreknew  us  (if  we  are 
His  own),  the  pressure  of  His  love  went  out  steadily  toward  us.  He 
called  us  before  we  were,  in  order  that  we  might  come  into  being; 
and  when  we  had  come  into  being.  He  led  us  all  our  days.  Even 
when  we  rebelled  against  Him  and  He  turned  His  face  from  us, 
even  then  He  led  us  as  our  true  and  faithful  Shepherd.  Surely  all 
things  tnust  work  together  for  good  to  them  that  love  God,  even  the 
lives  and  characters  of  their  ancestors— yi?r  they  are  the  called 
according  to  His  purpose. 

Instead  of  being  cold  and  formal,  it  is  rather  one  act  of  love, 
energizing,  pouring  forth,  shedding  itself  abroad.  From  its  foun- 
tain-head on  the  highest  mountains,  traversing  many  highlands  be- 
fore it  can  reach  you,  divine  love  flows  on,  ever  restless,  until  it 
pours  itself  forth  into  yottr  soul.  Hence  the  apostle  boasts  that  at 
last  love  had  attained  this  blessed  end  in  his  person  and  in  Rome's 
beloved  church.  "  Now  we  have  peace  with  God,  because  the  love 
of  God  (moving  toward  us  from  eternity)  at  last  has  reached  us,  and 
is  now  shed  abroad  in  our  heart." 

And  this  does  not  mean  that  now  we  possess  a  pure  love  of  our 
own,  but  that  the  love  of  God  for  His  elect,  having  descended 
from  on  high  and  overcome  every  obstacle,  has  poured  itself  into 
the  deep  bed  of  our  regenerated  hearts.  And  to  this  He  adds  the 
grace  of  making  the  soul  understand,  drink,  and  taste  of  that  love. 
And  when  in  contrition  and  shamefacedness  the  soul  loses  itself  in 
love's  delights  and  in  the  adorations  of  its  eternal  compassion,  then 


THE   WORK    OF   GRACE   A    UNIT  211 

His  glory  shines  with  greater  brightness,  and  His  rejoicings  with 
the  children  of  men  are  complete. 

However,  while  the  Triune  God  anticipates  from  before  the 
foundation  of  the  world  the  ingathering  and  glorification  of  the 
saints,  Scripture  clearly  reveals  that  this  ingathering  and  glorifica- 
tion is  the  adorable  work  of  the  Holy  Spirit.  God's  love  is  shed 
abroad  in  our  hearts  by  the  Holy  Spirit  who  is  given  unto  us. 

The  Scripture  gives  this  work  of  the  Spirit  a  prominent  place ; 
not  to  the  exclusion  of  the  Father  and  the  Son,  yet  so  that  this 
personal  work  is  always  effected  by  the  Holy  Spirit.  And  the 
Scripture  puts  this  so  strongly  that  the  Catechism  speaks,  not  in- 
correctly, of  three  things  in  our  most  holy  faith :  of  God  the  Father 
and  our  Creation,  of  God  the  Son  and  our  Redemption,  and  then 
only  of  God  the  Holy  Ghost  and  our  Sanctification.  And  this  is  not 
surprising.     For — 

First,  as  we  have  seen  already,  in  the  economy  of  the  Triune 
God  it  is  the  Holy  Spirit  who  comes  in  closest  contact  with  the 
creature  and  fills  him.  Hence  it  is  His  peculiar  work  to  enter 
man's  heart,  and  in  its  recesses  to  proclaim  God's  grace  until  he 
believes. 

Second,  He  brings  every  work  of  the  Triune  God  to  its  consum- 
mation. Hence  He  perfects  the  work  of  objective  grace  by  the 
saving  of  souls,  thus  realizing  its  final  purpose. 

Third,  He  quickens  life.  He  hovers  over  the  waters  of  chaos, 
and  breathes  into  man  the  breath  of  life.  In  perfect  harmony  with 
this,  the  sinner  dead  in  trespasses  and  sin  can  not  live  except  he 
be  quickened  by  the  Spirit  of  all  quickening,  whom  the  Church  has 
always  invoked,  saying:  "  Veni,  Creator  Spiritus." 

Fourth,  He  takes  the  things  of  Christ  and  glorifies  Him.  The 
Son  does  not  distribute  His  treasures,  but  the  Holy  Spirit.  And 
since  the  entire  salvation  of  the  redeemed  consists  in  the  fact  that 
their  dead  and  withered  hearts  are  joined  to  Christ,  the  Source  of 
salvation,  we  must  praise  the  Holy  Spirit  for  doing  it. 

Hence  in  the  constraining  desire  of  divine  love  for  the  individual 
salvation  of  chosen  but  lost  creatures,  the  work  of  the  Holy  Spirit 
evidently  occupies  the  most  conspicuous  place.  Our  knowledge  of 
God  is  not  complete  except  we  know  Him  as  the  Blessed  Trinity, 
Father,  Son,  and  Holy  Ghost.  But  as  "no  man  cometh  to  the 
Father  but  by  Me."  and  "no  man  knoweth  the  Father  save  the 


212  INTRODUCTION 

Son,  and  he  to  whomsover  the  Son  will  reveal  Him,"  so  no  man 
can  come  to  the  Son  but  by  the  Holy  Spirit,  and  no  man  can  know 
the  Son  if  the  Holy  Spirit  does  not  reveal  Him  unto  him. 

But  this  does  not  imply  any  separation,  even  in  thought,  between 
the  Persons  of  the  Godhead.  This  would  destroy  the  confession  of 
the  Trinity,  substituting  for  it  the  false  confession  of  tri-theism. 
Nay,  it  is  eternally  the  same  God  subsisting  in  three  Persons.  The 
truth  of  our  confession  shines  in  the  very  acknowledgment  of  the 
unity  in  the  Trinity.  The  Father  is  never  without  the  Son,  nor 
the  Son  without  the  Father.  And  the  Holy  Spirit  can  never  come 
to  us  nor  work  in  us  except  the  Father  and  the  Son  cooperate  with 
Him. 


III. 

Analysis  Necessary. 

"  Let  us  go  on  unto  perfection;  not 
laying  again  the  foundation."— 
Heb.  vi.  I, 

To  systematize  the  work  of  the  Holy  Spirit  in  individuals,  we 
must  first  consider  their  spiritual  condition  before  conversion. 

Misunderstanding  concerning  this  leads  to  error  and  confusion. 
It  causes  the  various  operations  of  the  Holy  Spirit  to  be  confounded, 
so  that  the  same  terms  are  used  to  designate  different  things.  And 
this  confuses  one's  own  thought,  and  leads  others  astray.  This  is 
most  seriously  apparent  in  ministers  who  discuss  this  subject  in 
general  terms,  artlessly  avoid  definiteness,  and  consequently  reiter- 
ate the  same  platitudes. 

Such  preaching  makes  little  or  no  impression;  its  monotone  is 
wearisome ;  it  accustoms  the  ear  to  repetitions ;  it  lacks  stimulus 
for  the  inward  ear.  And  the  mind,  which  can  not  remain  inactive 
with  impunity,  seeks  relief  in  its  own  way,  often  in  unbelief,  apart 
from  the  work  of  the  Holy  Spirit.  The  words  "  heart,"  "  mind," 
"soul,"  "conscience."  "inward  man"  are  used  indiscriminately. 
There  are  frequent  calls  for  conversion,  regeneration,  renewing  of 
life,  justification,  sanctification,  and  redemption ;  while  the  ear  has 
not  been  accustomed  to  understand  in  each  of  these  a  special  thing 
and  a  peculiar  revelation  of  the  work  of  the  Holy  Spirit.  And  in 
the  end  this  chaotic  preaching  makes  it  impossible  to  discuss  divine 
things  intelligently,  since  one  initiated  and  more  thoroughly  in- 
structed can  not  be  understood. 

We  solemnly  protest  especially  against  the  pious  appearance 
that  conceals  the  inward  hollowness  of  this  preaching  by  saying : 
"  My  simple  Gospel  has  no  room  for  these  hair-splitting  distinctions ; 
they  savor  of  the  dry  scholasticism  with  which  quibbling  minds 
terrify  God's  dear  children,  and  bring  them  under  the  bondage  of 
the  letter.  Nay,  the  Gospel  of  my  Lord  must  remain  to  me  full  of 
life  and  spirit;  therefore  spare  me  these  subtleties." 


214  INTRODUCTION 

And  no  doubt  there  is  some  truth  in  this.  By  a  dry  analysis  of 
soul-refreshing  truth,  abstract  minds  often  rob  simple  souls  of  much 
comfort  and  joy.  They  discuss  spiritual  things  in  the  mongrel 
terms  of  Anglicized  Latin,  as  tho  souls  could  have  no  part  with 
Christ  unless  they  be  experts  in  the  use  of  these  bastard  words. 
Such  terrifying  of  the  weak  betrays  pride  and  self-exaltation.  And 
a  very  foolish  pride  it  is,  for  the  boasted  knowledge  is  readily  ac- 
quired by  mere  effort  of  the  memory.  Such  externalizing  of  the 
Christian  faith  is  offensive.  It  substitutes  glibness  of  tongue  for 
genuine  piety,  and  mental  justification  for  that  of  faith.  Thus  piety 
of  the  heart  moves  to  the  head,  and  instead  of  the  Lord  Jesus 
Christ,  Aristotle,  the  master  teacher  of  dialectics,  becomes  the 
savior  of  souls. 

To  plead  for  such  a  caricature  is  far  from  our  purpose.  "We  be- 
lieve that  our  salvation  depends  solely  upon  God's  work  in  us,  and 
not  upon  our  testimony ;  and  the  little  child  with  stammering  lips, 
but  wrought  upon  by  the  Holy  Spirit,  will  precede  these  vain  scribes 
into  the  Kingdom  of  Heaven.  Let  no  one  dare  impose  the  yoke  of  his 
own  thoughts  upon  others.     Christ's  yoke  alone  fits  the  souls  of  men. 

And  yet  the  Gospel  does  not  condone  shallowness,  neither  does 
it  approve  mere  twaddle. 

Of  course  there  is  a  difference.  We  do  not  require  our  children 
to  know  the  names  of  all  the  nerves  and  muscles  of  the  human 
body,  of  the  diseases  to  which  it  is  subject,  and  of  the  contents 
of  the  pharmacopoeia.  It  would  be  a  burden  to  the  little  fellows, 
who  are  happiest  so  long  as  they  are  unconscious  of  the  curious 
organism  they  carry  with  them.  But  the  physician  who  is  not  quite 
certain  as  to  the  locality  of  these  vital  organs ;  who,  careless  of  de- 
tails, is  satisfied  with  the  generalities  of  his  profession ;  who,  unable 
to  diagnose  the  case  correctly,  fails  to  administer  the  proper  reme- 
dies, is  promptly  dismissed  and  a  more  discriminating  one  is  called 
in.  And  to  some  extent  the  same  is  required  of  all  intelligent  peo- 
ple. Well-informed  men  should  not  be  ignorant  of  the  vital  organs 
of  the  human  body  and  their  principal  functions;  mothers  and 
nurses  should  be  still  better  informed. 

The  same  applies  to  the  life  of  the  Church.  The  least  gifted 
among  the  brethren  can  not  understand  the  distinctions  of  the  spir- 
itual life ;  unable  to  bear  strong  meat,  they  should  be  fed  with  milk 
alone.      Neither  should  young  children  be  wearied  and   blunted 


ANALYSIS   NECESSARY  215 

with  phrases  far  above  their  comprehension.  Both  should  be  taught 
according  to  "  the  tenor  of  their  way"  A  child  talking  on  religious 
matters  in  discriminating  terms  unpleasantly  affects  the  spiritual 
feeling.  But  not  so  the  s'^WW.vlsX  physician,  i.e.,  the  tninister  of  the 
Word.  If  the  unskilled  veterinarian  be  dismissed,  how  much  more 
they  who,  pretending  to  treat  and  cure  souls,  betray  their  own  igno- 
rance of  the  conditions  and  activities  of  the  spiritual  life.  Where- 
fore we  insist  that  every  minister  of  the  Word  be  a  specialist  in  this 
spiritual  anatomy  and  physiology ;  familiar  with  the  various  forms 
of  spiritual  disease,  and  always  able  out  of  Christ's  fulness  to  select 
the  spiritual  remedies  required. 

And  the  same  knowledge  we  claim,  if  not  in  the  same  degree, 
of  every  intelligent  man  or  woman.  The  physician  or  lawyer  who 
smiles  at  our  ignorance  of  the  first  principles  of  his  profession  ought 
to  be  equally  ashamed  when  betraying  his  own  lamentable  igno- 
rance of  the  condition  of  his  soul.  In  the  spiritual  life  each  talent 
should  bear  interest.  Every  man  ought  to  be  symmetrically  devel- 
oped. According  to  his  range  of  vision,  strength  of  powers,  and 
depth  of  penetration,  he  should  be  able  to  distinguish  spiritual 
things  and  his  own  soul's  need.  And  that  this  knowledge  is  largely 
found  only  among  our  plain.  God-fearing  people,  and  not  among  the 
higher  classes,  is  a  serious  and  deplorable  sign  of  the  times. 

The  knowledge  which  is  power  in  the  spiritual  sphere,  and  able 
to  heal,  does  not  come  in  foreign  terms,  does  not  exhaust  itself  in 
the  various  criticism  of  Scripture,  fond  only  of  philosophic  reason- 
ings, starving  souls  by  giving  them  stones  for  bread ;  but  it  searches 
the  Word  and  work  of  God  in  the  souls  of  men  systematically,  and 
proves  that  a  man  has  studied  the  things  in  which  he  is  to  minister 
to  the  Church. 

Our  spiritual  leaders,  therefore,  who  at  the  university  and  in  the 
catechetical  class  have  replaced  this  spiritual  knowledge  by  various 
criticism  and  apologetics,  have  much  to  answer  for.  For  the  last 
thirty  years  this  knowledge  has  been  neglected  in  both  these  insti- 
tutions. And  so  knowledge  was  lost,  the  preaching  became  monot- 
onous, and  a  great  part  of  the  Church  perished.  There  was  still  eye 
and  ear  for  the  objective  work  of  the  Son,  but  the  work  of  the  Holy 
Spirit  is  slighted  and  neglected.  Consequently  spiritual  life  has 
sunk  to  such  a  degree  that,  while  scarcely  one  third  of  the  fulness 
of  g^ace  which  is  in  Christ  Jesus  is  being  known  and  honored,  men 
dare  to  assert  that  they  preach  Christ  and  Him  crucified. 


2i6  INTRODUCTION 

Hence  the  discussion  of  the  Holy  Spirit's  work  in  individuals 
demands  that,  while  risking  the  danger  of  being  called  "  scholastic 
drivers,"  we  leave  the  paths  of  shallowness  and  generalities  and 
proceed  to  careful  analysis.  The  Holy  Spirit's  operations  upon  the 
various  parts  of  our  being  in  their  several  conditions  must  be  distin- 
guished and  treated  separately ;  not  only  in  the  elect,  but  also  in  the 
non-elect,  for  they  are  not  the  same.  It  is  true  the  Scripture 
teaches  that  God  causes  His  sun  to  shine  upon  the  good  and  the 
evil,  and  His  rain  to  come  down  upon  the  just  and  the  unjust,  so 
that  in  nature  every  good  gift  coming  down  from  the  Father  of 
lights  is  common  to  all ;  but  in  the  kingdom  of  grace  this  is  not  so. 
The  Sun  of  righteousness  often  shines  upon  one,  leaving  another  in 
darkness ;  and  the  drops  of  grace  often  water  one  soul,  while  others 
remain  utterly  deprived  of  them. 

Hence,  altho  the  Spirit's  work  in  the  elect  is  of  primary  impor- 
tance, yet  it  does  not  exhaust  His  work  in  individuals.  Christ  was 
set  also  for  a  fall  to  many  in  Israel ;  and  even  this  is  wrought  by 
the  witness  of  the  Holy  Spirit.  Not  only  the  savor  of  life,  but  the 
savor  of  death  also  reaches  the  soul  by  Him ;  as  the  apostle  declares 
regarding  those  who,  having  received  the  gift  of  the  Holy  Ghost, 
had  fallen  away.  His  activity  in  them,  and  their  condition  when 
He  begins  His  saving  or  hardening  operations,  must  be  carefully 
noticed. 

Of  course,  this  is  not  the  place  to  discuss  the  condition  of  fallen 
man  exhaustively.  This  would  require  special  inquiry.  Many 
things  which  perhaps  elsewhere  will  be  explained  more  in  detail 
can  here  receive  but  passing  notice.  But  it  will  serve  our  purpose 
if  we  succeed  in  giving  the  reader  such  a  clear  view  of  the  sinner's 
condition  that  he  can  understand  us  when  we  discuss  the  Holy 
Spirit's  work  upon  the  sinner. 

By  a  sinner  we  understand  man  as  he  is,  lives,  and  moves  by 
nature,  i.e.,  without  grace.  And  in  that  state  he  is  dead  in  tres- 
passes and  sin ;  alienated  from  the  life  of  God ;  wholly  depraved 
and  without  strength;  a  sinner,  and  therefore  guilty  and  con- 
demned. And  not  only  dead,  but  lying  in  the  midst  of  death,  ever 
sinking  more  deeply  into  death,  which  if  not  checked  in  its  course 
opens  underneath  ever  more  widely,  until  eternal  death  stands  re- 
vealed. 

This  is  the  fundamental  thought,  the  mother-idea,  the  principal 
conception,  of  his  state.     "  By  one  man  sin  entered  into  the  world, 


ANALYSIS    NECESSARY 


217 


and  death  by  sin,  and  so  death  passed  upon  all  men."  And  "the 
wages  of  sin  is  death."  "  Sin  being  finished  bringeth  forth  death." 
To  be  translated  into  another  state,  one  must  pass  from  death  into 
life. 

But  this  general  idea  of  death  must  be  analyzed  in  its  several  re- 
lations, and  to  this  end  it  must  be  determined  what  man  was  before, 
and  what  he  has  become  after,  this  spiritual  death. 


IV. 
Image  and  Likeness. 

*'  Let  Us  make  man  in  Our  image, 
after  Our  likeness." — Gen.  i.  26. 

Glorious  is  the  divine  utterance  that  introduces  the  origin  and 
creation  of  man :  "  And  God  created  man  after  His  own  image  and 
after  His  own  likeness;  after  the  image  of  God  created  He  him" 
(Dutch  translation). 

The  significance  of  these  important  words  was  recently  discussed 
by  the  well-known  professor,  Dr.  Edward  Bohl,  of  Vienna.  Accord- 
ing to  him  it  should  read:  Man  is  created  "  in"  not  "  ajter"  God's 
image,  i.e.,  the  image  is  not  found  in  man's  nature  or  being,  but  out- 
side of  him  in  God.  Man  was  merely  set  in  the  radiance  of  that 
image.  Hence,  remaining  in  its  light,  he  would  live  in  that  image. 
But  stepping  out  of  it,  he  would  fall  and  retain  but  his  own  nature, 
which  before  and  after  the  fall  is  the  same.* 

In  the  discussion  of  the  corruption  of  the  human  nature  we  will 
consider  this  opinion  of  the  highly  esteemed  professor  of  Vienna. 
Let  us  state  here  simply  that  we  reject  this  opinion,  in  which  we 
see  a  return  to  Rome's  errors.  Dr.  Bohl's  negative  character  of 
sin,  which  is  the  basis  of  this  representation,  we  can  not  entertain. 
Moreover,  it  opposes  the  doctrine  of  the  Incarnation,  and  of  Sancti- 
fication  as  held  by  the  Reformed  Church.  Hence  we  believe  it  to 
be  safest,  first  to  explain  the  confession  of  the  fathers  concerning 
this,  and  then  to  show  that  this  representation  is  inconsistent  with 
the  Word. 

♦In  the  Dutch  the  preposition  "in  "  has  not  the  meaning  of  "conform- 
ably to,"  as  in  the  English,  but  denotes  rest  or  motion  within  limits, 
whether  of  place,  time,  or  circumstances.  With  nouns  or  adjectives  the 
word  governed  by  "  in  "  indicates  the  sphere,  the  domain  where  a  property 
manifests  itself.  Hence  the  Dutch  expression,  "Geschapen  in  het  beeld 
God's"  (created  in  the  divine  image),  indicates  the  sphere  in  which  Adam 
moved  before  he  fell. — Trans. 


IMAGE   AND    LIKENESS  219 

Accepting  the  account  of  Creation  as  the  Holy  Spirit's  direct 
revelation,  we  acknowledge  its  absolute  credibility  in  every  part. 
They  who  do  not  so  accept  it,  or  who,  like  many  Ethical  theolo- 
gians, deny  the  literal  interpretation,  can  have  no  voice  in  the  dis- 
cussion. If  in  the  exposition  of  the  account  we  are  in  earnest,  and 
do  not  trifle  with  words,  we  must  be  thoroughly  convinced  that  God 
actually  said :  "  Let  Us  make  men  after  Our  image  and  after  Our  like- 
ness." But  denying  this  and  holding  that  these  words  merely  rep- 
resent the  form  in  which  somebody,  animated  by  the  Holy  Spirit, 
presented  man's  creation  to  himself,  we  can  deduce  nothing  from 
them.  Then  we  have  no  security  that  they  are  divine ;  we  know 
only  that  a  pious  man  attributed  these  thoughts  to  God  and  laid  them 
upon  His  lips  while  they  were  but  his  own  account  of  man's  creation. 

Hence  the  infallibility  of  Sacred  Scripture  is  our  starting-point. 
We  see  in  Gen.  i.  27  a  direct  testimony  of  the  Holy  Spirit ;  and  with 
fullest  assurance  we  believe  that  these  are  the  words  of  the  Almighty 
spoken  before  He  created  man.  With  this  conviction,  they  have 
decisive  authority ;  and  bowing  before  it,  we  confess  that  man  was 
created  after  God's  likeness  and  after  His  image. 

This  statement,  in  connection  with  the  whole  account,  shows 
that  the  Holy  Spirit  sharply  distinguishes  man's  creation  and  that 
of  all  other  creatures.  They  were  all  manifestations  of  God's 
glory,  for  He  saw  that  they  were  good ;  an  effect  of  His  counsel, 
for  they  embodied  a  divine  thought.  But  man's  creation  was  spe- 
cial, more  exalted,  more  glorious;  for  God  said:  "  Let  Us  make  men 
after  Our  image  and  after  Our  likeness." 

Hence  the  general  sense  of  these  words  is  that  man  is  totally 
different  from  all  other  beings;  that  his  kind  is  nobler,  richer,  more 
glorious ;  and  especially  that  this  higher  glory  consists  in  the  more 
intimate  bond  and  closer  relation  to  his  Creator. 

This  appears  from  the  words  image  and  likeness.  In  all  His  other 
creative  acts  the  Lord  speaks,  and  it  is  done ;  He  commanded,  and  it 
stood  fast.  There  is  a  thought  in  His  counsel,  a  will  to  execute  it, 
and  an  omnipotent  act  to  realize  it,  but  no  more ;  beings  are  created 
wholly  outside  and  apart  from  Him.  But  man's  creation  is  totally 
different.  Of  course,  there  is  a  divine  thought  proceeding  from 
the  eternal  counsel,  and  by  omnipotent  power  this  thought  is  real- 
ized ;  but  that  new  creature  is  connected  with  the  image  of  God. 

According  to  the  universal  sig^nificance  of  the  word,  a  per- 
son's image  is  such  a  concentration  of  his  essential  features  as  to 


220  INTRODUCTION 

make  it  the  very  impress  of  his  being.  Whether  it  be  in  pencil, 
painting,  or  by  photography,  a  symbol,  an  idea,  or  statue,  it  is 
always  the  concentration  of  the  essential  features  of  man  or  thing. 
An  idea  is  an  image  which  concentrates  those  features  upon  the  field 
of  the  mind i  a  statue  in  marble  or  bronze,  etc.,  but  regardless  of 
form  or  manner  of  expression,  the  essential  image  is  such  a  concen- 
tration of  the  several  features  of  the  object  that  it  represents  the 
object  to  the  mind.  This  fixed  and  definite  significance  of  an  image 
must  not  be  lost  sight  of.  The  image  may  be  imperfect,  yet  as  long 
as  the  object  is  recognized  in  it,  even  tho  the  memory  must  supply 
the  possible  lack,  it  remains  an  image. 

And  this  leads  to  an  important  observation :  The  fact  that  we 
can  recognize  a  person  from  a  fragmentary  picture  proves  the  exist- 
ence of  a  soul-picture  of  that  person,  i.e.,  an  image  photographed 
through  the  eye  upon  the  soul.  This  image,  occupying  the  imag- 
ination, enables  us  mentally  to  see  him  even  in  his  absence  and 
without  his  picture. 

How  is  such  image  obtained?  We  do  not  make  it,  but  the  person 
himself,  who  while  we  look  at  him  draws  it  upon  the  retina,  thus 
putting  it  into  our  soul.  In  photography  it  is  not  the  artist,  nor  his 
apparatus,  but  the  features  of  our  own  countenance  which  as  by 
witchery  draw  our  image  upon  the  negative  plate.  In  the  same 
manner  the  person  receiving  our  image  is  passive,  while  we  put- 
ting it  into  his  soul  are  active.  Hence  in  deepest  sense  each  of  us 
carries  his  own  image  in  or  upon  his  face,  and  puts  it  into  the  human 
soul  or  upon  the  artist's  plate.  This  image  consists  of  features 
which,  concentrated,  form  that  peculiar  expression  which,  shows 
one's  individuality.  A  man  forms  his  own  shadow  upon  a  wall 
after  his  own  image  and  likeness.  As  often  as  we  cause  the  impress 
of  our  being  to  appear  externally,  we  make  it  after  our  own  image 
and  likeness. 

Returning,  after  these  preliminary  remarks,  to  Gen.  i.  27,  we  no- 
tice the  difference  between  (i)  the  divine  image  after  which  we  are 
created,  and  (2)  the  image  which  consequently  became  visible  in 
us.  The  image  after  which  God  made  man  is  one,  and  X\isX  fixed  in 
us  quite  another.  The  first  is  God's  image  after  which  we  are  cre- 
ated, the  other  the  image  created  in  us.  Ta  prevent  confusion,  the 
two  must  be  kept  distinct.  The  former  existed  before  the  latter, 
else  how  could  God  have  created  man  after  it? 

It  is  not  strange  that  many  have  thought  that  this  image  and 


IMAGE   AND    LIKENESS  221 

likeness  referred  to  Christ,  who  is  said  to  be  "  the  Image  of  the 
invisible  God,"  and  "  the  express  Image  of  His  Substance."  Not  a 
few  have  accepted  this  as  settled.  Yet,  with  our  best  ministers  and 
teachers,  we  believe  this  incorrect.  It  conflicts  with  the  words, 
"  Let  Us  make  men  after  Our  image  and  after  Our  likeness,"  which 
must  mean  that  the  Father  thus  addressed  the  Son  and  the  Holy- 
Spirit.  Some  say  that  these  words  are  addressed  to  the  angels,  but 
this  can  not  be  so,  since  man  is  not  created  after  the  image  of  an- 
gels. Others  maintain  that  God  addressed  Himself,  arousing  Him- 
self to  execute  His  design,  using  "  We_"  as  a  plural  of  majesty.  But 
this  does  not  agree  with  the  immediately  following  singular:  "  And 
God  created  man  after  His  image."  Hence  we  maintain  the  tried 
explanation  of  the  Church's  wisest  and  godliest  ministers,  that  by 
these  words  the  Father  addressed  the  Son  and  the  Holy  Spirit.  And 
then  the  unity  of  the  Three  Persons  expresses  itself  in  the  words: 
"  And  God  created  man  after  ZT/V  image."  Hence  this  image  can 
not  be  the  Son.  How  could  the  Father  say  to  the  Son  and  to  the 
Holy  Spirit:  "  Let  Us  make  men  after  the  image  of  the  Son"  ? 

That  image  must  be,  therefore,  a  concentration  of  the  features  of 
God's  Being,  by  which  He  expresses  Himself.  And  since  God 
alone  can  represent  His  own  Being  to  Himself,  it  follows  that  by 
the  image  of  God  we  must  understand  the  representation  of  His 
Being  as  it  eternally  exists  in  the  divine  consciousness. 

"  Image  "  and  "  likeness  "  we  take  to  be  synonyms ;  not  because  a 
difference  could  not  be  invented,  but  because  in  ver.  27  the  word 
" likeness"  \s  not  even  mentioned.  Hence  we  oppose  the  explana- 
tion that  image  refers  to  the  soul,  and  likeness  to  the  body.  Allow- 
ing that  by  the  indissoluble  union  of  body  and  soul  the  features  of 
the  divine  image  must  have  an  after-effect  in  the  latter,  which  is 
His  temple,  yet  there  is  no  reason  nor  suggestion  why  we  should 
support  such  a  precarious  distinction  between  image  and  likeness. 
Hence  the  image  after  which  we  are  created  is  the  expression  of 
God's  Being  as  it  exists  in  His  own  consciousness. 

The  next  question  is:  What  was  or  is  there  in  man  that  caused 
him  to  be  created  after  that  image? 


V. 
Original  Righteousness. 

*'  For  in  Him  we  live  and  move,  and 
have  our  being:  as  certain  also 
of  your  own  poets  have  said, 
For  we  are  also  His  offspring." 
— Acts  xvii.  28. 

It  is  the  peculiar  characteristic  of  the  Reformed  Confession  that 
more  than  any  other  it  humbles  the  sinner  and  exalts  the  sinless 
man. 

To  disparage  man  is  unscriptural.  Being  a  sinner,  fallen  and  no 
longer  a  real  man,  he  must  be  humbled,  rebuked,  and  inwardly 
broken.  But  the  divinely  created  man,  realizing  the  divine  purpose 
or  restored  by  omnipotent  grace  in  the  elect,  is  worthy  of  all  praise, 
for  God  has  made  him  after  His  own  image. 

Because  he  stood  so  high,  he  fell  so  low.  He  was  such  an  excel- 
lent being,  hence  he  became  such  a  detestable  sinner.  The  excel- 
lency of  the  former  is  the  source  of  the  damnableness  of  the  latter. 

It  is  said  that  while  the  present  age  properly  appreciates  and 
exalts  man,  our  doctrine  only  disparages  him ;  but  with  all  its  eulogy 
and  praise  this  present  age  has  never  conceived  a  more  exalted  tes- 
timony than  that  of  Scripture,  saying :  "  God  created  man  in  His 
own  image."  We  protest  against  the  cry  of  the  age,  not  because  it 
makes  of  man  too  much,  but  too  little,  asserting  that  he  is  glorious 
even  now  in  h.\s /alien  state. 

What  would  you  think  of  the  man  who,  walking  through  your 
flower-garden,  laid  waste  by  a  violent  thunder-storm,  called  the  stem- 
broken  and  mud-covered  flowers,  lying  upon  their  disordered  beds, 
magnificent?  And  this  the  present  age  is  doing.  Walking  through 
the  garden  of  this  world,  withered  and  disordered  by  sin's  thunder- 
storms, it  cries  in  proud  ecstasy :  "  What  glorious  beings  these  men ! 
How  fair  and  excellent ! "  And  as  the  botanist  would  say  regard- 
ing his  disordered  garden :  "  Do  you  call  this  beautiful?    You  should 


ORIGINAL   RIGHTEOUSNESS  223 

have  seen  it  before  the  storm  destroyed  it " ;  so  say  we  to  this  age : 
"  Do  you  call  this  fallen  man  glorious?  Compared  to  what  he  ought 
to  be  he  is  utterly  worthless.  But  he  was  glorious  before  sin  ruined 
him,  shining  in  all  the  beauty  of  the  divine  image." 

Hence  our  doctrine  exalts  him  to  highest  glory.  Next  to  the 
glory  of  being  created  after  the  image  of  God  comes  the  glory  of  ifeing 
God  Himself.  As  soon  as  man  presumes  to  this  he  thrusts  at  once 
all  his  glory  from  him ;  it  is  his  detestable  sin  that  he  aspires  to  be 
like  God.  If  it  be  said  that  even  in  Paradise  the  law  prevailed  that 
God  alone  is  great,  and  the  creature  nothing  before  Him ;  we  an- 
swer, that  he  that  is  created  after  the  divine  image  has  no  higher 
ambition  than  to  be  a  reflection  of  God ;  excluding  the  idea  of  being 
above  or  against  God.  Hence  it  is  certain  that  the  original  man 
was  most  glorious  and  excellent;  wherefore  fallen  man  is  most 
despicable  and  miserable. 

Has  fallen  man  then  lost  the  image  of  God? 

This  vital  question  controls  our  view  of  man  in  every  respect, 
and  hence  requires  closest  examination ;  especially  since  the  opin- 
ions of  believers  concerning  this  are  diametrically  opposed.  Some 
maintain  that  after  the  fall  man  retained  a  few  remains  of  it,  and 
others  that  he  has  entirely  lost  it. 

To  avoid  all  misunderstanding,  we  must  first  decide  whether  to 
be  created  after  the  image  of  God  (i)  refers  only  to  the  original 
righteousness,  or  (2)  included  also  man's  nature  which  was  clothed 
with  this  original  righteousness.  If  the  divine  image  consisted  only 
in  the  original  righteousness,  then,  of  course,  it  was  completely  and 
absolutely  lost ;  for  by  his  fall  man  lost  this  original  righteousness 
once  for  all.  But  if  it  was  also  impressed  upon  his  being,  his  nature, 
and  upon  his  human  existence,  then  it  can  not  disappear  entirely ;  for, 
however  deeply  sunk,  fallen  man  remains  man. 

By  this  we  do  not  imply  that  something  spiritually  good  was  left 
in  man ;  among  the  finally  lost  even  the  deepest  fallen  will  retain 
some  evidence  that  he  was  created  after  the  divine  image.  We  do 
not  even  hesitate  to  subscribe  to  the  opinion  of  the  fathers  that  if 
the  angels,  Satan  included,  were  originally  created  after  God's  im- 
age (which  Scripture  does  not  teach  positively),  then  even  the  devil 
in  his  deep  fiendishness  must  show  some  features  of  that  image. 

"We  do  not  mean  that  after  the  fall  man  had  any  willingness, 
knowledge,  or  anything  good ;  and  they  who  in  pulpit  or  writing  in- 
fer this  from  "  the  few  remains  "  of  article  xiv.  of  the   Confession 


224 


INTRODUCTION 


of  Faith  pervert  its  plain  teaching.  Altho  it  acknowledges  that  a 
few  remains  are  retained,  yet  it  follows  that  "  all  the  light  which  is 
in  us  is  changed  into  darkness ";  and  it  says  before  that  "  man  is 
become  wicked,  perverse,  and  corrupt  in  all  his  ways,"  and  "  that  he 
has  corrupted  his  whole nuiure."  Hence  these  "  few  remains"  may 
never  be  understood  to  imply  that  there  remained  in  man  any 
strength,  willingness,  or  desire  for  good.  No,  a  sinner  in  his  fallen 
nature  is  altogether  condemnable.  And  there  is,  as  the  same  arti- 
cle confesses,  "  no  will  nor  understanding  conformable  to  the  divine 
will  and  understanding,  but  what  Christ  has  wrought  in  man,  which 
He  teacheth  us  when  He  said,  "  Without  Me  ye  can  do  nothing." 

And  thus  we  disarm  any  suspicion  that  we  look  for  something 
good  in  the  sinner. 

With  Scripture  we  confess :  "  There  is  none  righteous,  no  not  one. 
There  is  none  that  understandeth,  there  is  none  that  seeketh  after  God. 
They  are  all  gone  out  of  the  way,  they  are  together  become  unprofit- 
able; there  is  none  that  doeth  good,  no,  not  one." 

But  how  is  this  to  be  reconciled?  How  can  these  two  go  to- 
gether? On  the  one  hand  the  sinner  has  nothing,  absolutely  noth- 
ing good  or  praiseworthy;  and  on  the  other,  this  same  sinner 
always  retains  features  of  the  image  of  God ! 

Let  us  illustrate.  Two  horses  become  mad;  the  one  is  a  com- 
mon truck  horse,  the  other  a  noble  Arabian  stallion.  Which  is  the 
more  dangerous?  The  latter,  of  course.  His  noble  blood  will  break 
loose  into  more  uncontrollable  rage  and  violence.  Or,  two  clerks 
work  in  an  office ;  the  one  a  mere  drudge  of  slow  understanding, 
the  other  a  youth  with  brains  and  piercing  eye.  Which  could  do 
his  master  the  greater  injury?  The  latter,  of  course,  and  all  his 
schemes  would  show  his  superiority  working  in  the  wrong  direc- 
tion. This  is  always  the  case.  There  is  no  more  dangerous  ene- 
my of  the  truth  than  an  unbeliever  religiously  instructed.  In  all 
his  impious  rage  he  shows  his  superior  training  and  knowledge. 
Satan  is  so  mighty  because  before  his  fall  he  was  so  exceedingly 
glorious.  Hence  in  his  fall  man  did  not  put  off  the  original  na- 
ture, but  he  retained  it.  Only  its  action  was  reversed,  corrupted, 
and  turned  against  God. 

When  the  captain  of  a  man-of-war  in  a  naval  engagement  betrays 
his  king  and  raises  the  enemy's  flag,  he  does  not  first  damage  or 
sink  his  ship,  but  he  keeps  it  as  efficient  for  service  as  possible,  and 
with  all  its  armament  intact  he  does  the  very  reverse  of  what  he 


ORIGINAL   RIGHTEOUSNESS  225 

ought  to  do.  "  Optimi  coruptio  pessimal"  says  the  proverb  of  the 
wise— /.<?.,  the  greater  the  excellency  of  a  thing,  the  more  danger- 
ous its  defection.  If  the  admiral  of  the  fleet  were  to  choose  which 
of  his  ships  should  betray  him,  he  would  say :  "  Let  it  be  the  weak- 
est, for  defection  of  the  strongest  is  the  most  dangerous."  It  is  true 
in  every  sphere  of  life  that  the  excellent  qualities  of  a  thing  or  be- 
ing do  not  disappear  in  reversed  action,  but  become  most  excellently 
bad. 

In  this  way  we  understand  man's  fall.  Before  it  he  possessed 
the  most  exquisite  organism  which  by  holy  impulse  was  directed 
toward  the  most  exalted  aim.  Tho  reversed  by  the  fall,  this  pre- 
cious human  instrument  remained,  but,  directed  by  unholy  impulse, 
it  aims  at  a  deeply  unholy  object. 

Comparing  man  to  a  steamship,  his  fall  did  not  remove  the 
engine.  But  as  before  the  fall  he  moved  in  righteousness,  so  he 
moves  now  in  unrighteousness.  In  fact,  as  fast  as  he  steamed  then 
toward  felicity,  so  fast  he  steams  now  toward  perdition,  i.e.,  away 
from  God.  Hence  the  retaining  of  the  engine  made  his  fall  all  the 
more  terrible  and  his  destruction  more  certain.  And  thus  we  recon- 
cile the  two :  that  man  retained  his  former  features  of  excellency, 
and  that  his  destruction  is  sure  except  he  be  born  again. 

But  in  the  divine  image  we  must  carefully  distinguish : 

First,  the  wonderful  and  artistic  organism  called  human  nature. 

Second,  the  direction  in  which  it  moved,  i.e.,  toward  the  holiest 
end,  in  that  God  created  man  in  original  righteousness. 

That  God  created  man  good  and  after  His  own  image  does  not 
mean  that  Adam  was  in  a  state  of  imwcence,  in  that  he  had  not  sinned ; 
nor  that  he  was  perfectly  equipped  to  become  holy,  gradually  to  as- 
cend to  greater  development ;  but  that  he  was  created  in  true  right- 
eousness and  holiness,  indicating  not  the  degree  of  his  development, 
but  his  status.  This  was  his  original  righteousness.  Hence  all  the 
inclinations  and  outgoings  of  his  heart  were  perfect.  He  lacked 
nothing.  Only  in  one  respect  his  blessedness  differed  from  that  of 
God's  children,  viz.,  his  good  was  losable  and  theirs  not. 

Of  these  two  parts  constituting  the  divine  image — first,  the  in- 
ward, artistic  organism  of  man's  being,  and,  second,  the  original 
righteousness  in  which  the  organism  moved  naturally — the  latter  is 
completely  lost,  and  ih^  former  is  reversed;  but  the  being  of  the 
instrument,  tho  terribly  marred,  remained  the  same,  to  work  in  the 
wrong  direction,  i.e.,  in  unrighteousness.  Hence  the  features  or 
IS 


226  INTRODUCTION 

after-effects  of  the  divine  image  are  not  found  in  the  few  good 
things  that  remain  in  the  sinner,  "  but  in  all  that  he  does"  Man  could 
not  sin  so  terribly  if  God  had  not  created  htm  after  His  own  image. 

Scripture  teaches,  therefore,  that  they  are  all  gone  aside,  that 
they  are  altogether  become  filthy,  and  that  all  come  short  of  the 
glory  of  God ;  while  it  also  declares  that  even  this  fallen  man  is 
created  after  God's  image— Gen.  ix.  6,  and  after  His  likeness — 
James  iii.  9. 


VI. 
Rome.  Socinus,  Arminius,  Calvin. 

*'  And  that  ye  put  on  the  new  man,  which 
after  God  is  created  in  righteousness 
and  true  holiness." — Ephes.  iv.  24. 

It  is  not  surprising  that  believers  entertain  different  views  con- 
cerning the  significance  of  the  image  of  God.  It  is  a  starting-point 
determining  the  direction  of  four  different  roads.  The  slightest 
deviation  at  starting  must  lead  to  a  totally  different  representation 
of  the  truth.  Hence  every  thinking  believer  must  deliberately 
choose  which  road  he  will  follow : 

First,  the  path  of  Rome,  represented  by  Bellarminus. 

Second,  that  of  Arminius  and  Socinus,  walking  arm-in-arm. 

Third,  that  of  the  majority  of  the  Lutherans,  led  by  Melanch- 
thon. 

Lastly,  the  direction  mapped  out  by  Calvin,  i.e.,  that  of  the  Re- 
formed. 

Rome  teaches  that  the  original  righteousness  does  not  belong  to 
the  divine  image,  but  to  the  human  nature  as  a  superadded  grace. 
Quoting  Bellarminus,  first,  man  is  created  consisting  of  two  parts, 
flesh  and  spirit ;  second,  the  divine  image  is  stamped  partly  on  the 
flesh,  but  chiefly  on  the  human  spirit,  the  seat  of  the  moral  and 
rational  consciousness ;  third,  there  is  a  conflict  between  flesh  and 
spirit,  the  flesh  lusting  against  the  spirit ;  fourth,  hence  man  has  a 
natural  inclination  and  desire  for  sin,  which  as  desire  alone  is  no 
sin  as  long  as  it  is  not  yielded  to ;  fifth,  in  His  grace  and  compas- 
sion God  gave  man,  independently  of  his  nature,  the  original  right- 
eousness for  a  defense  and  safety-valve  to  control  the  flesh ;  sixth, 
by  his  fall  man  has  willingly  thrust  this  superadded  righteousness 
from  him:  hence  as  sinner  he  stands  again  in  his  naked  nature 
{in  puris  naturatibus),  which,  as  a  matter  of  course,  is  inclined  to 
sin,  inasmuch  as  his  desires  are  sinful. 

We  believe  that  the  Romish  theologians  will  allow  that  this  is 
the  current  view  among  them.    According  to  Catechismus  Romanus, 


228  INTRODUCTION 

question  38 :  "  God  gave  to  man  from  the  dust  of  the  earth  a  body, 
in  such  a  way  that  he  was  partaker  of  immortality  not  by  virtue 
of  his  nature,  but  by  a  superadded  grace.  As  to  his  soul,  God 
formed  him  in  His  image  and  after  His  likeness,  and  gave  him  a 
free  will;  morem'er  [prceterea,  besides,  hence  not  belonging  to  his 
nature].  He  so  tempered  his  desires  that  they  continually  obey  the 
dictates  of  reason.  Besides  this  He  has  poured  into  him  the  origi- 
nal righteousness,  and  gave  him  dominion  over  all  other  creatures." 

The  view  of  Socinus,  and  of  Arminius  who  followed  him  close- 
ly, is  totally  different.  It  is  a  well-known  fact  that  the  Socinians 
denied  the  Godhead  of  Christ,  who,  as  they  taught,  was  born  a 
mere  man.  But  (and  by  this  they  misled  the  Poles  and  Hunga- 
rians) they  acknowledged  that  He  had  become  God.  Hence  after 
His  Resurrection  He  could  be  worshiped  as  God.  But  in  what 
sense?  That  the  divine  nature  was  g^ven  Him?  Not  at  all.  In 
Scripture,  magistrates,  being  clothed  with  the  divine  majesty  which 
enabled  them  to  exercise  authority,  are  called  "gods."  This  applies 
to  Jesus,  who,  after  His  Resurrection,  received  of  the  Father  power 
over  all  creatures  in  an  eminent  degree.  Hence  He  is  absolutely 
clothed  with  divine  majesty.  If  a  sinner,  as  a  magistrate,  is  called 
god,  how  much  more  can  we  conceive  of  Christ  as  being  called 
God,  simply  to  express  that  He  was  clothed  with  divine  authority? 

In  order  to  support  this  false  view  of  Christ's  Godhead,  the 
Socinians  falsified  the  doctrine  of  the  image  of  God,  and  made  it 
equivalent  to  man's  dominion  over  the  animals.  This  was  in  their 
opinion  also  a  kind  of  higher  majesty,  containing  something  divine, 
which  was  the  image  of  God.  Hence  the  first  Adam,  being  clothed 
with  majesty  and  dominion  over  a  portion  of  creation,  was  there- 
fore of  God's  offspring  and  created  in  His  image.  And  the  second 
Adam,  Christ,  also  clothed  with  majesty  and  dominion  over  crea- 
tion, the  Scripture  therefore  calls  God. 

That  the  Remonstrants  also  adopted  this  doubly  false  represen- 
tation appears  conclusively  from  what  the  moderate  professor 
A  Limborch  wrote  in  the  beginning  of  the  eighteenth  century :  "  This 
image  consisted  in  the  power  and  exalted  position  which  God  gave 
to  man  above  all  creation.  By  this  dominion  he  shows  most  clearly 
the  image  of  God  in  the  earth."  He  adds:  "  That  in  order  to  exer- 
cise this  power,  he  was  endowed  with  glorious  talents.  But  these 
are  only  means.  Dominion  over  the  animals  is  the  principal  thing." 
Hence  we  infer  that  the  bravest  and  coarsest  tamer  of  animals. 


ROME,   SOCINUS,  ARMINIUS,  CALVIN        229 

playing  with  lions  and  tigers  as  if  pet  dogs,  is  the  tenderest  child 
of  God.  We  say  this  in  all  seriousness  and  without  a  thought  of 
mockery,  to  show  the  foolishness  of  the  Socinian  system. 

The  Lutheran  view,  as  will  be  seen,  occupies  the  middle  ground 
between  the  Roman  Catholic  and  the  Reformed. 

Its  most  prominent  part  (readily  recognized  in  the  representa- 
tion of  Dr.  Bohl)  is  that  the  divine  image  is  merely  the  original 
righteousness.  They  do  not  deny  that  man,  as  man,  in  his  nature 
and  being  shows  something  beautiful  and  excellent,  reminding  one 
of  the  image  of  God;  but  the  real  image  itself  is  not  in  man's  na- 
ture, nor  in  his  spiritual  being,  but  only  in  the  original  wisdom  and 
righteousness  in  which  God  created  him.  Gerhardt  writes :  "  The 
real  similarity  with  God  lay  in  the  soul  of  man,  partly  in  his  intelli- 
gence, partly  in  his  moral  and  rational  inclinations,  which  three 
excellencies  together  constitute  his  original  righteousness."  And 
Bauer :  "  Properly  speaking,  this  image  of  God  consists  of  some 
perfections  of  will,  intellect,  and  feeling  which  God  created  to- 
gether with  man  {concreatas),  which  is  the  original  righteousness." 
Hence  the  Lutheran  doctrine  teaches  that  the  proper  image  of 
God  is  now  totally  lost,  and  that  the  sinner  is  as  helpless  before  the 
work  of  grace  as  a  stock  or  block,  as  one  fettered  and  unable  even 
to  rattle  his  chain. 

The  Reformed,  on  the  contrary,  have  always  denied  this,  and 
taught  that  the  image  of  God,  being  one  with  His  likeness,  did  not 
consist  only  in  the  original  righteousness,  but  included  also  man's 
being  and  personality ;  not  only  his  state,  but  also  his  being.  Hence 
the  original  righteousness  was  not  something  additional,  but  his 
being,  nature,  and  state  were  originally  in  the  most  beautiful  har- 
mony and  causal  relation.  Ursinus  says :  "  The  image  of  God  has 
reference :  (i)  to  the  immaterial  substance  of  the  soul  with  its  gifts 
of  knowledge  and  will;  (2)  to  all  in-created  knowledge  of  God  and 
of  His  will ;  (3)  to  the  holy  and  righteous  inclination  of  the  will, 
and  moving  of  the  heart,  i.e.,  the  perfect  righteousness;  (4)  to  the 
bliss,  holy  peace,  and  abundance  of  all  enjoyment;  and  (5)  to  the 
dominion  over  the  creatures.  In  all  these  our  moral  nature  reflects 
the  image  of  God,  tho  imperfectly.  St.  Paul  explains  the  image  of 
God  from  the  true  righteousness  and  holiness,  without  excluding, 
however,  the  wisdom  and  in-created  knowledge  of  God.  He  rather 
presupposes  them." 

These  four  views  concerning  the  divine  image  present  four 


230  INTRODUCTION 

opposing  opinions  that  are  clearly  drawn  and  sharply  outlined. 
The  Socinian  conceives  of  the  image  of  God  as  entirely  outside 
of  man  and  his  moral  being,  and  consisting  in  the  exercise  of 
something  resembling  divine  authority.  The  Roman  Catholic  does 
indeed  look  for  the  divine  image  in  man,  but  severs  him  from  the 
divine  ideal,  i.e.,  the  original  righteousness  which  is  put  upon  him 
as  a  garment.  The  Lutheran,  like  the  Socinian,  puts  the  divine 
image  outside  of  man,  exclusively  in  the  divine  ideal,  which  he  con- 
siders not  as  foreign  to  man,  but  calculated  for  him  and  originally 
created  in  his  nature  (however  distinct  from  it).  Lastly,  the  Re- 
formed confesses  that  man's  whole  personality  is  the  impress  of 
God's  image  in  his  being  and  attributes ;  to  which  belongs  naturally 
that  ideal  perfection  expressed  in  the  confession  of  original  right- 
eousness. 

Undoubtedly  the  Reformed  confession  is  the  purest  and  most 
excellent  expression  of  the  Bible  revelation;  hence  we  maintain 
it  from  deepest  conviction.  It  maintains  that  God  created  man  in 
His  image,  and  not  his  nature  only,  like  Rome ;  nor  his  authority 
only,  like  the  Socinians ;  nor  his  righteousness  only,  like  the  Lu- 
therans. 

His  divine  image  does  not  belong  merely  to  an  attribute,  state, 
or  quality  of  man,  but  to  the  whole  man ;  for  He  created  tnan  in  His 
image ;  and  the  confession  which  subtracts  from  this  detracts  from 
the  positive  Scriptural  statement,  i.e.,  from  the  Spirit's  direct  testi- 
mony: "  Let  Us  make  man  in  Our  image  and  after  Our  likeness," 
and  not :  "  Let  Us  re-form  man  in  Our  image." 

Neither  is  the  divine  image  only  in  man's  personality,  as  the 
Vermittelungs  (Mediation)  theologians,  following  Fichte,  hold. 
Man's  personality  certainly  belongs  to  it,  but  it  is  not  all,  nor  even 
the  principal  thing.  Personality  is  contrast  to  our  equals,  and  con- 
trast can  not  be  after  the  image  of  God,  for  God  is  One.  Person- 
ality is  a  very  feeble  feature  of  the  divine  image.  True  personality 
is  no  contrast,  but  glorious  completeness,  like  that  in  God.  One 
person  is  something  defective;  three  persons  in  one  being,  com- 
pleteness. 

Wherefore  we  protest  against  these  loud  and  emphatic  asser- 
tions that  the  image  is  our  imperfect  personality,  as  leading  the 
Church  away  from  the  Scripture.  No ;  man  himself  is  the  image  of 
God,  his  whole  being  as  man — in  his  spiritual  existence,  in  the  be- 
ing and  nature  of  his  soul,  in  the  attributes  and  workings  that  adorn 


ROME,  SOCINUS,   ARMINIUS,  CALVIN        231 

and  express  his  being;  not  as  tho  this  human  being  were  a  locomo- 
tive without  steam,  posing  as  a  model,  but  a  living  and  active 
organism  exerting  influence  and  power. 

As  a  being  man  is  not  defective,  but  perfect;  not  in  a  state  of 
becoming,  but  of  being — /.  e. ,  he  was  not  to  become  righteous,  but  was 
righteous.  This  is  his  original  righteousness.  Hence,  that  God 
created  man  in  His  image  signifies : 

1.  That  man's  being  is  infinite  form  the  impress  of  the  infinite 
Being  of  God. 

2.  His  attributes  are  in  finite  form  the  impress  of  God's  attri- 
butes. 

3.  His  state  was  the  impress  of  the  felicity  of  God. 

4.  The  dominion  which  he  exercised  was  image  and  impress  of 
God's  dominion  and  authority. 

To  which  may  be  added  that,  since  man's  body  is  calculated  for 
the  spirit,  it  also  must  contain  some  shadows  of  that  image. 

This  confession  the  Reformed  churches  must  maintain  in  the 
pulpit,  in  the  catechetical  classes,  and  above  all  in  the  recitation- 
halls  of  theology. 


VII. 
The  Neo-Kohlbruggians. 

"  And  Adam  lived  a  hundred  and  thirty 
years,  and  begat  a  son  in  his  own 
likeness,  and  after  his  image;  and 
called  his  name  Seth." — Gen.  v.  3. 

Many  are  the  efforts  made  to  alter  the  meaning  of  the  word, 
"  Let  Us  make  man  in  Our  image  and  after  Our  likeness,"  by  a  dif- 
ferent translation ;  especially  by  making  it  to  read  "  in  "  instead  of 
"  a/Ur  "  our  likeness.  This  new  reading  is  Dr.  Bohl's  main  support. 
With  this  translation  his  system  stands  or  falls. 

According  to  him,  man  is  not  the  bearer  of  the  divine  image, 
but  by  a  divine  act  he  was  set  in  it,  as  a  plant  is  set  in  the  sun.  As 
long  as  the  plant  stood  in  the  dark,  its  shape  and  flowers  are  invisi- 
ble ;  carried  into  the  light  its  beauty  becomes  apparent.  In  like 
manner,  man  was  without  luster  until  God  put  him  in  the  shining 
glory  of  His  image,  and  then  he  appeared  beautiful.  Of  course, 
this  idea  requires  the  translation :  "  Let  Us  create  man  in  Our  im- 
age." 

Let  us  explain  the  difference :  Gen.  i.  26  in  the  Hebrew  has  two 
different  prepositions.  The  one  standing  before  "likeness"  (2)  is 
invariably  used  in  comparisons ;  while  the  other  before  "  image  "  is 
mostly  used  to  denote  that  one  thing  is  found  in  another.  Hence 
the  translation,  "  in  our  image  and  after  our  likeness,"  has  appar- 
ently much  in  its  favor.  This  translation  (altho  we  believe  it  to 
be  incorrect ;  for  our  reasons  see  the  next  article)  does  not  alter 
the  meaning,  if  rightly  interpreted. 

And  what  is  that  right  interpretation.?  Not  that  of  Dr.  Bohl; 
for,  according  to  him,  the  newly  created  man  did  not  stand  in  the 
m.idst  of  that  image,  but  only  in  its  reflection  and  radiation.  The 
plant  is  not  set  in  the  sun,  but  in  the  sun-rays.  No ;  if  Adam  stood 
in  the  midst  of  God's  image,  then  he  was  wholly  encompassed  by  it. 
Let  us  illustrate.  There  are  wooden  images  covered  with  paper 
on  which  is  printed  a  head  or  bust,  colored  to  imitate  marble  or 


THE    NEO-KOHLBRUGGIANS  233 

bronze.  The  wood  may  be  said  to  be  in  the  image,  covered  by  it 
from  all  sides.  Again,  the  sculptor  actually  chisels  the  image,  in 
his  mind,  or  posing  as  a  model,  about  tJu  mard/e  until  it  encloses  the 
whole  block.  In  like  manner  it  may  be  said  that  Adam,  upon  his 
first  awakening  to  consciousness,  was  enclosed  by  God's  image ;  not 
externally,  and  he  only  its  reflection,  but  its  ectype  penetrating  his 
whole  being. 

The  correctness  of  this  exegesis  appears  from  Gen.  v.  1-3,  the 
contents  of  which,  tho  often  overlooked,  settle  this  matter.  Here 
Scripture  brings  Adam's  creation  in  direct  connection  with  his  own 
begetting  a  son  after  his  own  likeness.  We  read :  "  In  the  day  that 
God  created  man,  in  the  likeness  of  God  made  He  him ;  male  and 
female  created  He  them ;  and  blessed  them,  and  called  their  name 
Adam,  in  the  day  when  they  were  created.  And  Adam  lived  a 
hundred  and  thirty  years,  and  begat  a  son  in  his  own  likeness,  after 
his  image;  and  called  his  name  Seth." 

In  both  instances  the  Hebrew  word  zelem,  image,  is  used. 
Hence  to  obtain  a  clear  and  correct  understanding  of  the  statement, 
"  to  be  created  in  the  image  and  after  the  likeness  of  God,"  Scripture 
invites  us  to  let  the  child's  resemblance  to  the  father  assist  us. 
And  the  father's  likeness  lies  in  the  child's  being,  is  part  of  it,  and 
does  not  merely  beam  from  the  father  upon  the  child  externally. 
Even  in  his  absence  or  after  his  death  the  resemblance  of  features 
continues. 

Hence  to  beget  a  child  in  our  image  and  after  our  likeness 
means  to  give  existence  to  a  being  bearing  our  image  and  resem- 
blance, altho  as  a  person  distinct  from  us.  From  which  it  must  fol- 
low that  when  Scripture  says,  regarding  Adam,  that  God  created 
him  in  His  image  and  after  His  likeness,  using  the  same  words 
"  image"  {zelem)  and  "  likeness"  (demoetk),  it  can  not  mean  that  the 
divine  image  shone  upon  him,  so  that  he  stood  and  walked  in  its 
light ;  but  that  God  so  created  him  that  his  whole  being,  person, 
and  state  reflected  the  divine  image,  since  he  carried  it  in  himself. 

It  is  remarkable  that  the  prepositions  used  in  Gen.  i.  26  appear 
also  in  this  passage,  but  in  a  reversed  order.  Rendering  the  preposi- 
tion "  a"  "  in,"  as  in  Gen.  i.  26,  it  reads:  "  He  begat  a  son  in  his  like- 
ness and  after  his  image."  And  this  is  conclusive.  It  shows  how 
utterly  unfair  it  is  to  deduce  a  different  meaning  from  the  use  of 
different  prepositions.  Even  if  we  translate  "  ?"  by  "  /«" — "  in  the 
image  of  God  " — the  sense  is  the  same ;  in  both,  the  image  is  not  a 


234  INTRODUCTION 

reflection  falling  upon  man,  indicating  his  state  only,  but  also  his 
form,  both  state  and  being. 

However,  before  we  proceed,  let  Dr.  Bohl  speak  for  himself. 
For  we  might  possibly  have  wrongly  understood  him ;  it  is  therefore 
reasonable  that  his  own  words  be  laid  before  our  readers. 

We  take  these  citations  from  his  work,  entitled,  "  Von  der  In- 
carnation des  Gottlichen  Wortes";  a  dogmatic,  highly  important 
book,  wherein  he  deals  the  Vermittellungs  theologians  blows  that 
have  filled  our  hearts  with  joy,  partly  because  God  is  honored 
thereby,  and  also  because  of  the  consolation  offered  to  broken 
hearts.  Hence  it  does  not  enter  our  minds  to  belittle  the  labor  of 
Dr.  Bohl.  We  only  contend  that  his  presentation  of  the  image  of 
God  is  not  the  true  one.  We  point,  therefore,  to  the  important  and 
exceedingly  clear  sentences  of  pages  28  and  29: 

"  Gott  nun  veranstaltete  es  so,  dass  der  Mensch  gleich  anfangs  unter 
den  Einfluss  des  Guten  zu  stehen  kam  und  somit  das  Gute  that.  Er  schuf 
ihn  im  Bilde  Gottes,  nach  seiner  Gleichheit  (Gen.  i.  26).  Was  dies 
heisst.  wird  dann  erst  recht  deutlich,  wenn  wir  die  WJederherstel- 
lung  des  gefallenen  Menschen  (nach  Ephes.  iv.  24 ;  Col.  iii.  9)  in  Betracht 
Ziehen.  Paulus  blickt  hier  auf  den  anfanglichen  Zustand  bin,  wenn  er 
redet  von  dera  neuen  Menschen,  den  wir  nach  Ausziehung  des  alten 
anzuziehen  batten.  Er  bezeichnet  nun  diesen  neuen  Menschen  als  einen 
Gott  gemass  geschafiEen  {KTicQkvTo)  in  Gerechtigkeit  und  Heiligkeit,  wie 
sie  nach  Wahrheit  ist.  Diese  apostolischen  Ausdriicke  enthalten  eine 
Umschreibung  jener  Ausstattung,  welche  Mose  rait  den  Worten  :  'Im 
Bilde  Gottes,  nach  seiner  Gleichheit '  kennzeichnet.  Die  Wiedergeburt  ist 
eine  neue  Schopfung,  die  aber  nach  der  Vorschrift  der  alten  bestellt  ist, 
ohne  etwas  davon-  noch  dazuzuthun.  Der  Stand  im  Bilde  Gottes,  in  dem 
der  Mensch  nach  der  Gleichheit  Gottes  war,  ist  also  etwas,  was  man  von 
dem  Menschen  hinwegnehmen  kann,  ohne  die  Creatur  Gottes  selbst  auf- 
zuheben.  Es  ist  dem  Apostel  weiter  eigenthiimlich,  die  Bewegungen  des 
neuen  Menschen  unter  dera  Bilde  von  verschiedenen  Gewandern  darzu- 
stellen,  die  raan  anzuziehen  habe  (Col.  iii.  \2ff.) .  Grund  und  Veranlassung 
fiir  solche  Umwandlung  ist  Christus,  der  Geist,  den  Christus  vora  Vater  her 
sendet,  oder  der  Stand  in  Christo  oder  in  der  Gnade  (z.  B.  2  Cor.  v.  17; 
Gal.  V.  16,  18,  25  ;  Rora.  v.  2) .  Und  ganz  ebenso  ist  nach  Gen.  i.  26  Grund 
fiir  die  Gleichheit  rait  Gott  der  Stand  ira  Bilde  Gottes."* 

•  "  God  ordered  it  so  that  immediately,  from  the  beginning,  raan  came  to 
stand  under  the  influence  of  that  which  is  good,  and  consequently  did  that 
which  is  good.     He  created  him  in  the  image  of  God.  after  His  likeness. 


THE    NEO-KOHLBRUGGIANS  235 

The  words  in  italics  dispel,  alas!  all  doubt.  It  is  possible  to 
conceive  of  the  image  of  God  as  having  completely  disappeared, 
and  yet  man  remaining  man. 

Dr.  Bohl  repeats  this  clearly  in  the  following  words  (p.  29) : 

"  Wenn  wir  nun  die  Creatur  aus  jenem  Stande  hinausgetreten  denken, 
so  bleibt  diese  Creatur  intact. "  * 

This  goes  so  far  that  Dr.  Bohl  himself  felt  how  closely  he  thus 
returned  to  the  boundaries  of  Rome,  for  which  reason  he  continues, 
saying : 

"Nur  freilich,  dass  diese  Creatur  nicht,  wie  die  romische  Kirche  lehrt, 
immer  noch  genug  iibrig  behalt,  um  sich  wieder  mit  Hilfe  des  Gnadenge- 
schenkes  Christi  selbst  zu  rehabilitiren.  Sondern  nach  dem  Falle  ist  der 
Mensch  und  zwar  sein  Ich  mit  den  dem  Menschen  anerschaflfenen  hochsten 
Gaben  (siehe  Calvin,  '  Inst.,'  ii.,  i,  g)  aus  der  rechten  Stellung  herausge- 
reten  und  dem  Tode  als  Herscher,  dem  Gesetz  als  unbarmherziger  Treibert 
preisgegeben."  f 

The  significance  of  this  is  made  clear  when  we  consider  the  restoration  of 
fallen  man  (according  to  Ephes.  iv.  24  ;  Col.  iii.  9) .  Paul,  speaking  of  the 
new  man  that  we  must  put  on,  after  having  put  off  the  old  man,  has  refer- 
ence to  the  original  state.  And  now  he  describes  this  new  man  as  one 
that  is  created  after  God  in  righteousness  and  holiness,  as  he  truly  is. 
These  apostolic  expressions  contain  a  description  of  the  same  equipment 
that  Moses  characterizes  with  the  words  :  'In  the  image  of  God,  after  His 
likeness. '  Regeneration  is  a  new  creation,  which,  however,  is  ordered 
after  the  model  of  the  old,  without  taking  anything  from,  or  adding  any- 
thing to  it.  Hence  man' s  standing  in  the  image  of  God,  ivherein  he  was 
after  the  likeness  of  God,  is  something  that  can  be  taken  away  from  man 
without  removitig  God' s  creature  itself.  Furthermore,  the  apostle  de- 
scribes the  movements  of  the  new  man  under  the  image  of  various  gar- 
ments which  must  be  put  on  (Col.  iii.  \'2,ff.').  The  ground  and  occasion  of 
such  being  clothed  upon  is  Christ,  the  Spirit  whom  Christ  sends  from  the 
Father  ;  or  the  standing  in  Christ,  or  in  grace  {e.g.  2  Cor.  v.  17 ;  Gal.  v.  16, 
18,  25  ;  Rom.  v.  2).  And  in  just  the  same  way  is  the  ground  for  likeness 
with  God,  the  standing  in  the  image  of  God,  according  to  Gen.  i.  26." 

*"If  we  now  think  of  the  creature  to  have  left  this  standing,  yet  this 
creature  remains  intact. " 

f  "With  this  understanding,  however,  that  the  creature  has  not  retained 
enough  strength,  with  the  help  of  the  gracious  gift  of  Christ,  to  restore 
himself,  as  Rome  teaches.  But  after  the  fall,  man's  ego,  with  the  highest 
gifts  received  in  his  creation,  has  left  his  true  standing  and  is  delivered  to 
Death  as  bis  ruler,  and  to  the  Law  as  his  unmerciful  driver. " 


236  INTRODUCTION 

But  stronger  still :  Dr.  Bohl  is  so  firmly  attached  to  this  presen- 
Ution  that  he  says  even  of  Christ,  that  He.  before  His  Resurrection. 
lacked  the  divine  image.  See  page  45 :  "  Our  Lord  and  Savior 
stood  outside  the  image  of  God."  "  Ausserhalb  des  Bildes  Gottes 
stand  unser  Herr."  Which  is  all  the  more  serious  since  in  conse- 
quence of  this  presentation,  the  passions  and  desires  toward  the  sin- 
ful are,  considered  by  themselves,  sinless,  just  as  Rome  teaches  it. 

So  we  read  on  page  73 : 

"Dasder  Mensch  Begierden  hat,  dass  ihn  Leidenschaften  (-06^)  treibcn. 
wie  Zom.  Furcht.  Muth,  Eifersucht,  Freude,  Liebe,  Hass,  Sehnsucht, 
Mitleid,  dies  Alles  constituirt  noch  keine  Siinde.  denn  das  Vermogen.  um 
Zora.  Unlust.  oier  Mitleid  und  dergl.  m.  zu  empfinden,  :st  von  Gott  ge- 
schaffen.  Ohne  dem  ware  kem  Leben  und  keine  Bewegung  im  Menschen. 
Also  die  Begierde  und  iiberhaupt  die  Leidenschaften  sind  an  sich  nicht 
Siinde.  Sie  werden  es  vmd  sind  es  im  actuellen  Zustand  des  Menschen, 
weil  durch  ein  dazwischentretendes  Gebot  und  durch  jene  verkehrte  Lebens- 
richtnng,  die  Paulus  einen  vo/^<  r^f  afuif/ruu^  nennt,  das  menschliche  Ich 
bewogen  wird,  zu  den  Leidenschaften  und  Begierden  Stellung  zu  nehtnen. 
d.  h.  sich  richtig  oder  unrichtig  zu  ihnen  zu  verhalten."  * 

Let  each  judge  for  himself  whether  we  said  too  much  when  we 
spoke  of  the  necessity  of  protesting,  in  the  name  of  our  Reformed 
Confession,  against  the  creeping  in  of  this  Platonic  presentation, 
which  later  on  was  defended  partly  by  the  Romish,  partly  by  the 
Lutheran  theologians. 

Dr.  Bohl  is  excellent  when  he  shows  that  the  original  righteous- 
ness was  not  simply  a  germ,  which  had  still  to  be  developed,  but 
that  Adam's  righteousness  was  complete,  lacking  nothing.  Equally 
excellent  is  his  proof  against  Rome,  showing  that  man,  in  his  naked 
nature,  absolutely  lacks  the  power  to  holiness.     But  he  errs  in  rep- 

••'The  fact  that  man  has  desires,  that  he  is  led  by  passions,  such  as 
anger,  fear,  courage,  jealousy,  joy.  love,  hate,  longing,  pity,  all  this  does 
not  constitute  sin  .  for  the  power  to  experience  anger,  displeasure,  or  pity, 
and  the  like  passions,  la  created  of  God.  Without  these  there  would  be 
no  life  nor  stir  in  man.  Hence  desires  and  passions  m  general  are  no  sin 
in  themselves  They  become  and  are  sin  in  man's  present  condition,  be- 
cause, by  an  intervening  law,  and  by  that  perverted  tendency  of  life  which 
Paul  calls  a  law  of  sin,  the  human  Ego  is  compelled  to  determine  its  rela- 
tion to  the  passions  and  desires,  i.e.,  to  adopt  a  good  or  bad  attitude 
toward  them . " 


THE  NEO-KOHLBRUGGIANS  237 

resenting  the  image  of  God  as  something  without  which  man  re- 
mains man.  This  places  righteousness  and  holiness  mechanically 
outside  of  us,  while  the  organic  connection  between  that  imag^  and 
our  own  being,  which  once  existed  and  ctight  to  exist,  is  the  very 
thing  that  must  be  maintained. 

And  yet,  let  it  not  be  thought  that  Dr.  Bohl  has  any  inclination 
toward  Rome.  If  we  see  aright,  his  deviation,  psychologically  ex- 
plained, springs  from  an  entirely  different  motive. 

It  is  a  well-known  fact  that  Dr.  Kohlbrugge  has  contended, 
with  a  glorious  ardor  of  faith,  against  the  reestablishing  of  the  Cov- 
enant of  Works  in  the  midst  of  the  Covenant  of  Grace :  and  has  re- 
introduced us  with  stress  and  emphasis  to  the  completely  finished 
work  of  our  Savior,  to  which  nothing  can  be  added.  Hence  this 
preacher  of  righteousness  was  compelled  to  make  the  child  of  God 
remember  what  he  teas  outside  of  Christ.  Of  course,  outside  of 
Christ,  there  is  no  difference  between  a  child  of  God  and  a  gpodless 
person.  Then  all  lie  in  one  heap;  as  the  ritual  of  the  Lord's  Sup- 
per so  beautifully  confesses :  "  That  we  seek  our  life  out  of  our- 
selves, in  Jesus  Christ,  and  thereby  acknowledge  that  we  lie  in  the 
midst  of  death";  as  also  the  Heidelberg  Catechism  confesses: 
■  That  I  have  grossly  transgressed  all  the  commandments  of  God. 
and  kept  none  of  them,  and  am  still  inclined  to  all  evil." 

If  we  see  aright.  Dr.  Bohl  has  tried  to  reduce  this  part  of  the 
truth  to  a  dogmatic  system.  He  has  reasoned  it  out  as  follows : 
"  If  a  child  of  God  has  his  life  outside  of  himself,  then  Adam,  who 
was  a  child  of  God.  must  also  have  had  his  life  outside  of  himself. 
Hence  the  image  of  God  was  not  in.  but  outside  of.  man." 

And  what  is  the  mistake  of  this  reasoning?  This,  that  the 
child  of  God  remains  a  sinner  until  his  death,  and  is  only  fully  re- 
stored after  his  death.  Then  only  complete  redemption  is  his. 
While  in  Adam,  before  his  fall,  there  was  no  sin ;  hence  Adam 
could  never  say  that  in  himself  he  lay  in  the  midst  of  death. 

With  all  the  earnestness  of  our  hearts  we  beseech  all  those  who 
with  us  possess  the  treasure  of  Dr.  Kohlbrugge's  preaching  care- 
fully to  notice  this  deviation.  If  the  younger  Kohlbruggians 
should  be  tempted  to  misunderstand  their  teacher  in  this  respect, 
the  loss  would  be  incalculable,  and  the  breach  in  the  Reformed 
Confession  would  be  lasting;  since  it  touches  a  point  which  affects 
the  whole  confession  of  the  truth. 


VIII. 
After  the  Scripture. 

"  In  the  day  that  God  created  man, 
in  the  likeness  of  God  created 
He  him." — Gen.  v.  i. 

In  the  preceding  pages  we  have  shown  that  the  translation,  "  in 
Our  image,"  actually  means,  "  after  Our  image."  To  make  anything 
in  an  image  is  no  language;  it  is  unthinkable,  logically  untrue. 
We  now  proceed  to  show  how  it  should  be  translated,  and  give  our 
reason  for  it. 

We  begin  with  citing  some  passages  from  the  Old  Testament  in 
which  occurs  the  preposition  "  B  "  which,  in  Gen.  i.  27,  stands  be- 
fore image,  where  it  can  not  be  translated  "  in,"  but  requires  a  prep- 
osition of  comparison  such  as  "  like  "  or  "  after." 

Isa.  xlviii.  10  reads:  "  Behold  I  have  refined  thee,  but  not  with 
silver;  I  have  chosen  thee  in  the  furnace  of  affliction."  Here  the 
preposition  "  B  "  stands  before  silver,  as  in  Gen.  i.  27  before  image. 
It  is  obvious  that  it  can  not  be  translated  "  in  silver,"  but  "  as  sil- 
ver." Surely  the  Lord  would  not  cast  the  Jews  in  a  pot  of  melted 
silver.  The  preposition  is  one  of  comparison ;  as  in  i  Peter  i.  17  the 
refining  of  Israel  is  compared  to  that  of  a  noble  metal.  It  may  be 
translated ;  "  I  have  refined  thee,  but  not  according  to  the  nature  of 
silver";  or  simply:  "as  silver." 

Psalm  cii.  reads :  "  My  days  are  consumed  like  smoke,  and  my 
bones  are  burned  as  an  hearth."  In  the  Hebrew  the  same  preposi- 
tion "  B  "  occurs  before  smoke,  and  almost  all  exegetes  translate  it, 
"  as  smoke." 

Again,  Psalm  xxxv.  2  reads :  "  Take  hold  of  shield  and  buckler  and 
stand  up  for  mine  help."  "  Stand  up  in  my  help"  makes  no  sense. 
The  thought  allows  no  other  translation  than  this :  "  Stand  up  so 
that  Thou  be  my  help;"  or,  "Stand  up  as  my  nelp";  or.  as  the 
Authorized  Version  has  it:  "  Stand  n^/or  my  help." 

We  find  the  same  result  in  Lev.  xvii.  11:"  The  life  of  the  flesh 


AFTER   THE    SCRIPTURE  239 

is  in  the  blood,  and  I  have  given  it  to  you  upon  the  altar,  to  make 
an  atonement  for  your  souls;  for  it  is  the  blood  that  maketh  an 
atonement  for  the  soul.  Here  the  same  preposition  "  B  "  occurs. 
In  the  Hebrew  it  reads:  "  Banefesh"  (t^fJ?),  which  was  translated 
"for  the  soul."  It  would  be  absurd  to  render  it:  "  in  the  soul ";  for 
the  blood  does  not  come  in  the  soul,  nor  does  the  atonement  take 
place  in  the  soul,  but  on  the  altar.  Here  we  have  also  a  compari- 
son (substitution).  The  blood  is  as  the  soul,  represents  the  soul  in 
the  atonement,  takes  the  place  of  the  soul. 

We  notice  the  same  in  Prov.  iii.  26,  where  the  wisdom  of  Solo- 
mon wrote :  "  The  Lord  shall  be  thy  confidence,  and  shall  keep  thy 
foot  from  being  taken."  The  same  preposition  occurs  here.  The 
Hebrew  text  reads  "Bkisleka"  (^v???),  literally,  "for  a  loin  to 
thee."  And  because  the  loins  are  a  man's  strength,  it  is  used 
metaphorically  to  indicate  the  ground  of  confidence  and  hope  in 
distress.  The  sense  is  therefore  perfectly  clear.  Says  Solomon : 
"  The  Lord  shall  be  to  thee  as  a  ground  of  confidence,  thy  refuge, 
and  thy  hope."  For  if  we  should  read  here :  "  The  Lord  shall  be  in 
your  hope,"  it  might  be  inferred  that,  among  other  things,  the  Lord 
was  also  in  the  hope  of  the  godly ;  which  would  be  unscriptural 
and  savor  of  Pelagianism.  In  the  Scripture,  the  Lord  alone  is  the 
hope  of  His  people.  Hence  the  preposition  does  not  mean  "  in," 
but  it  indicates  a  comparison. 

To  add  one  more  example,  Exod.  xviii.  4  reads :  "  The  God  of  my 
father  was  my  help,  and  delivered  me  from  the  sword  of  Pharaoh." 
Translate  this,  "  The  God  of  my  father  was  in  my  help,"  and  how 
unscriptural  and  illogical  the  thought ! 

From  these  passages,  to  which  others  might  be  added,  it  appears: 
(i)  That  this  preposition  can  not  always  be  translated  by  "  in." 
(2)  That  its  use  as  a  preposition  of  comparison,  in  the  sense  of 
"  like,"  "  for,"  "  after,"  is  far  from  being  rare. 

Armed  with  this  information,  let  us  now  return  to  Gen.  i.  26; 
and  in  our  opinion,  it  does  not  offer  us  now  any  difficulty  at  all. 
As  in  Isa.  xlviii.  10,  the  preposition  and  noun  are  translated  "  as 
silver";  in  Psalm  cii.  4,  "as  smoke";  in  Psalm  xxxv.  2,  "as"  or 
"to  my  help";  in  Lev.  xvii.  11,  "as"  or  "in  the  place  of  my 
soul";  in  Prov.  iii.  16,  "as,"  or  "to  my  confidence,"  the  German 
Version  of  the  Vienna  Hebrew  Bible  translates,  "  Let  Us  make  men 
to,  or  as  Our  image,"  i.e.,  let  Us  make  men,  who  shall  be  Our  image 
on  the  earth.     Or    nore  freely :  "  Let  Us  make  a  sort  of  being  who 


240  INTRODUCTION 

will  bear  Our  image  on  earth,  who  will  be  as  Our  image  on  earth,  or 
be  to  Us  on  earth  for  an  image." 

Then  it  follows,  in  Gen.  i.  27 :  "  And  God  created  man  for  His 
image,  to  be  an  image  of  God  created  He  him." 

It  is,  of  course,  exactly  the  same  whether  I  say,  "  God  created 
man  after  His  image,"  i.e.,  so  that  man  became  bearer  of  His  im- 
age, or  "  God  created  man  for  an  image  of  Himself."  In  both  in- 
stances, and  in  similar  manner,  it  is  expressed  that  man  should  ex- 
hibit an  image  of  God.  Thus  far  the  image  of  God  was  lacking  in 
the  earth.  When  God  had  created  man,  the  lack  was  supplied :  for 
that  image  was  man,  upon  whose  being  the  Lord  God  had  stamped 
His  own  image.  Hence  we  see  no  difference  in  the  two  transla- 
tions. 

Speaking  of  the  image  stamped  on  sealing-wax  by  a  seal,  I  can 
say,  "  I  have  stamped  the  wax  after  the  image  of  the  seal, "referring 
to  the  concave  image  of  the  seal ;  or,  "  The  image  is  stamped  on  the 
wax"  referring  to  the  convex  image  on  the  wax. 

We  add  three  remarks : 

First,  the  word  "  man  "  in  Gen.  i.  26  does  not  refer  to  one  per- 
son, but  to  the  whole  race.  Adam  was  not  merely  a  person,  but 
our  progenitor  and  federal  head.  The  whole  race  was  in  his  loins. 
Humanity  consists  at  any  given  moment  of  the  aggregate  of  those 
who  live  or  will  live  in  this  world,  whether  many  or  few.  Adam 
alone  was  humanity ;  when  Eve  was  given  him  he  and  she  were  hu- 
manity. "  Let  Us  make  man  in  Our  image  and  after  Our  likeness," 
is  equal  to:  "  Let  Us  create  humanity,  which  will  bear  Our  image." 
But  it  refers  also  to  the  individual  in  that  he  is  a  member  of  the 
human  family.  Hence  Adam  begat  children  in  his  image  and  after 
his  own  likeness.  Yet  there  is  a  difference.  Men  have  different 
gifts,  talents,  and  qualifications ;  the  complete  impress  of  the  divine 
image  could  appear  not  in  individual  endowments,  but  in  the  full 
manifestation  of  the  race,  if  it  had  remained  sinless. 

Hence  the  Dutch  Version  uses  the  plural,  altho  the  Hebrew  has 
the  singular  "  man  " :  not  Adam  alone,  but  the  genus  man,  human- 
ity, was  created  in  the  divine  image. 

Hence  when  the  original  man  fell,  the  second  Adam  came  in 
Christ,  who,  as  the  second  federal  Head,  contained  in  Himself  the 
whole  Church  of  God.  In  His  meditorial  capacity  Christ  appeared 
as  God's  image  in  Adam's  place.  Wherefore  every  member  of 
the  Church  must  be  transformed  after  His  image — i  Cor.  xv.  49; 


AFTER   THE    SCRIPTURE  241 

Rom.  viii.  29.  And  the  Church,  representing  regenerated  human- 
ity, is  the  pleroma  of  the  Lord ;  for  it  is  called  "  the  fulness  of 
Him  that  filleth  all  in  all." 

Secondly,  since  man  is  created  to  be  God's  image  on  earth,  he 
must  be  willing  to  remain  image,  and  never  presume  or  imagine  to 
be  original.  Original  and  image  are  opposites.  God  is  God,  and  man 
is  not  God,  but  only  the  image  of  God.  Hence  it  is  the  essence  of 
sin  when  man  refuses  to  remain  image,  reflection,  shadow,  exalting 
himself  to  be  something  real  in  himself.  Conversion  depends, 
therefore,  solely  upon  his  willingness  to  become  image  again,  i.e.,  to 
believe.  He  that  becomes  an  image  is  nothing  in  himself,  and  ex- 
hibits all  that  he  is  in  absolute  dependence  upon  Him  whose  image 
he  bears;  and  this  is  at  once  man's  highest  honor  and  completest 
dependence. 

Lastly,  God  must  have  His  image  in  the  earth.  For  this  pur- 
pose He  created  Adam.  Having  defiled  it  beyond  recognition,  man 
denies  the  existence  of  the  divine  image  in  the  earth.  And  thus 
image- worship  originated.  Image-worship  means  that  man  says: 
"  I  will  undertake  to  make  an  image  of  God."  And  this  diametri- 
cally opposes  God's  work.  It  is  His  holy  prerogative  to  make  an 
image  of  Himself;  and  the  creature  should  never  dare  undertake  it. 
Hence  it  is  presumption  when,  aspiring  to  be  God,  man  refuses  to 
remain  His  image,  defiles  it  in  himself,  and  undertakes  to  repre- 
sent God  in  gold  or  silver. 

Image-worship  is  an  awful  sin.  God  saith :  "  Thou  shalt  not 
make  unto  thee  any  graven  image."  This  sin  is  from  Satan.  He 
always  imitates  God's  work.  He  will  not  be  less  than  God.  When 
at  last  the  Great  Beast  appears,  the  Dragon  proclaims :  "  They  that 
dwell  in  the  earth  should  make  an  image  of  the  Beast !"  God  has 
decreed  to  make  His  own  image  to  be  the  object  of  His  eternal 
pleasure.  But  Satan,  opposing  this,  defiles  that  image  and  makes  an 
image  for  himself;  not  of  man,  for  he  is  defiled  and  ruined,  but  of  a 
beast.  And  thus  in  his  supreme  manifestation  he  judges  himself. 
God's  Son  became  a  man,  Satan's  creation  is  a  beast. 

When  finally  the  Beast  and  its  image  are  overthrown,  by  One 
who  is  like  a  son  of  man,  it  is  the  Lord's  triumph  over  His  enemies. 
Then  the  divine  image  is  restored,  nevermore  to  be  defiled.  And 
the  Almighty  God  rejoices  forever  and  ever  in  His  own  reflection. 


IX. 
The  Image  of  God  in  Man. 

•'  As  we  have  borne  the  image  of  the  earthy, 
we  shall  also  bear  the  image  of  the 
heavenly." — i  Cor.  xv.  49. 

One  more  point  remains  to  be  discussed,  viz.,  whether  the 
divine  image  refers  to  the  image  of  Christ. 

This  singular  opinion  has  found  many  warm  defenders  in  the 
Church  from  the  beginning.  It  originated  with  Origen,  who  with 
his  brilliant,  fascinating,  and  seducing  heresies  has  unsettled  many 
things  in  the  Church ;  and  his  heresy  in  this  respect  has  found  many 
defenders  both  East  and  West.  Even  Tertullian  and  Ambrose  sup- 
ported it,  as  well  as  Basil  and  Chrysostom ;  and  it  took  no  less  a 
person  than  Augustine  to  uproot  it. 

Our  Reformed  theologians,  closely  following  Augustine,  have 
strongly  opposed  it.  Junius,  Zanchius  and  Calvin,  Voetius  and 
Coccejus  condemned  it  as  error.  We  can  safely  say  that  in  our 
Reformed  inheritance  this  error  never  had  a  place. 

But  in  the  last  century  it  has  crept  again  into  the  Church.  The 
pantheistic  philosophy  occasioned  it;  and  its  after-effects  have 
tempted  our  German  and  Dutch  mediation  theologians  to  return  to 
this  ancient  error. 

The  great  philosophers  who  enthralled  the  minds  of  men  at  the 
beginning  of  this  century  fell  in  love  with  the  idea  that  God  became 
man.  They  taught  not  that  the  Word  became  flesh,  but  God  be- 
came man ;  and  that  in  the  fatal  sense  that  God  is  ever  becoming, 
and  that  He  becomes  a  better  and  a  purer  God  as  He  becomes  more 
purely  man.  This  pernicious  system,  which  subverts  the  founda- 
tions of  the  Christian  faith,  and  under  a  Christian  form  annihilates 
essential  Christianity,  has  led  to  the  doctrine  that  in  Christ  Jesus 
this  incarnation  had  become  a  fact ;  and  from  it  was  deduced  that 
God  would  have  become  man  even  if  man  had  not  sinned. 

We  have  often  spoken  of  the  danger  of  teaching  this  doctrine. 


i 


THE   IMAGE   OF   GOD    IN   MAN  243 

The  Scripture  repudiates  it,  teaching  that  Christ  is  a  Redeemer 
from  and  an  atonement  for  sin.  But  a  mere  passing  contradiction 
will  not  stop  this  evil ;  this  poisonous  thread,  running  through  the 
warp  and  woof  of  the  Ethical  theology,  will  not  be  pulled  from  the 
preaching  until  the  conviction  prevails  that  it  is  philosophic  and 
pantheistic,  leading  away  from  the  simplicity  of  Scripture. 

But  for  the  present  nothing  can  be  done.  Almost  all  the  Ger- 
man manuals  now  used  by  oiir  rising  ministers  feed  this  error; 
hence  the  widespread  prevalence  of  the  idea  that  the  image  in 
which  man  was  created  was  the  Christ. 

And  this  is  natural.  So  long  as  it  is  maintained  that,  even 
without  sin,  man  was  destined  for  Christ  and  Christ  for  man,  it 
must  follow  that  the  original  man  was  calculated  for  Christ,  and 
hence  was  created  after  the  image  of  Christ. 

For  evidence  that  this  deviates  from  the  truth,  we  refer  theolo- 
gians to  the  writings  of  Augustine,  Calvin,  and  Voetius  on  this 
point,  and  to  our  lay-readers  we  offer  a  short  explanation  why  we 
and  all  Reformed  churches  reject  this  interpretation. 

We  begin  with  referring  to  the  many  passages  in  Scripture, 
teaching  that  the  redeemed  sinner  must  be  renewed  and  trans- 
formed after  the  image  of  Christ. 

In  2  Cor.  iii.  18  we  read:  "We  all  are  changed  into  the  same 
image  from  glory  to  glory,  even  as  by  the  Spirit  of  the  Lord  " ;  and 
in  Rom.  viii.  29:  "That  we  are  predestinated  to  be  conformed  to 
the  image  of  His  Son  " ;  and  in  i  Cor.  xv.  49 :  "  As  we  have  borne  the 
image  of  the  earthy,  we  shall  also  bear  the  image  of  the  heavenly." 
To  this  category  belong  all  such  passages  in  which  the  Holy  Spirit 
admonishes  us  to  conform  ourselves  to  the  example  of  Jesus,  which 
may  not  be  understood  as  mere  imitation,  but  which  decidedly 
means  a  transformation  into  His  image.  And  lastly,  here  belong 
those  passages  that  teach  that  we  must  increase  to  a  perfect  man, 
"  to  the  stature  of  the  fulness  of  Christ " ;  and  that "  we  shall  be  like 
Him,  for  we  shall  see  Him  as  He  is." 

Hence  believers  are  called  to  transform  themselves  after  Christ's 
image,  which  is  the  final  aim  of  their  redemption.  But  this  image 
is  not  the  Eternal  Word,  the  Second  Person  in  the  Trinity,  but  the 
Messiah,  the  Incarnate  Word,  i  Cor.  xv.  44  furnishes  the  undeniable 
proof.  St.  Paul  declares  there  that  the  first  man  Adam  was  of  the 
earth  earthy,  i.e.,  not  only  after  the  fall,  but  by  creation.  Then  he 
says  that  as  believers  have  borne  the  image  of  the  earthy,  so  they 


244  INTRODUCTION 

will  also  bear  the  image  of  the  heavenly,  i.e.,  Christ.  This  shows 
clearly  that  in  his  original  state  man  did  not  possess  the  image  of 
Christ,  but  that  afterward  he  will  possess  it.  What  Adam  received 
in  creation  is  clearly  distinguished  from  what  a  redeemed  sinner 
possesses  in  Christ ;  distinguished  in  this  particular,  that  it  was  not 
according  to  his  nature  to  be  formed  after  Christ's  image,  which 
image  he  could  receive  only  by  grace  after  the  fall. 

This  is  evident  also  from  what  St.  Paul  teaches  in  i  Cor.  xi. 
In  the  third  verse,  speaking  of  the  various  deg^^ees  of  ascending 
glory,  he  says  that  the  man  is  the  head  of  the  woman,  and  the  head 
of  every  man  is  Christ,  and  the  head  of  Christ  is  God.  And  yet, 
having  spoken  of  these  four,  woman,  man,  Christ,  God,  he  says 
emphatically,  in  ver.  7,  not  as  might  be  expected,  "  The  woman  is  the 
glory  of  the  man,  the  man  the  glory  of  Christ,"  but,  omitting  the  link 
Christ,  he  writes :  "  For  the  man  is  the  glory  of  God,  and  the  woman 
the  glory  of  the  man."  If  this  theory  under  consideration  were 
correct,  he  should  have  said:  "  The  man  is  the  image  of  Christ." 

Hence  it  is  plain  that  according  to  Scripture  the  image  after 
which  we  are  to  be  renewed  \%  not  that  after  which  we  are  created ; 
the  two  must  be  distinguished.  The  latter  is  that  of  the  Triune 
God  whose  image  penetrated  into  the  being  of  the  race.  The 
former  is  that  of  the  holy  and  perfect  Man  Christ  Jesus,  our  federal 
Head,  and  as  such  the  Example  [Dutch,  Voorbeeld ;  literally,  an 
image  placed  before  one. — Trans.],  after  which  every  child  of  God 
is  to  be  renewed,  and  which  at  last  he  shall  resemble. 

Hence  Scripture  offers  two  different  representations :  first,  the 
Son  who  is  the  image  of  the  Father  as  the  Second  Person  in  the 
Trinity ;  second,  the  Mediator  our  Example  [  Voorbeeld,  image  put 
before  one],  hence  our  image  after  which  we  are  to  be  renewed; 
and  between  the  two  there  is  almost  no  connection.  The  Scripture 
teaching  that  the  Son  of  God  is  the  express  image  of  His  Person  and 
the  image  of  the  Invisible,  refers  to  the  relation  between  the  Father 
and  the  Son  in  the  hidden  mystery  of  the  Divine  Being.  But 
speaking  of  our  calling  to  be  renewed  after  the  image  of  Christ,  it 
refers  to  the  Incarnate  Word,  our  Savior,  tempted  like  as  we  are  in 
all  things,  yet  without  sin. 

Mere  similarity  of  sound  should  not  lead  us  to  make  this  mis- 
take. Every  effort  to  translate  Gen.  i.  26,  "  Let  Us  make  man  in 
or  after  the  image  of  the  Son,"  is  confusing.  Then  "  Let  Us"  must 
refer  to  the  Father  speaking  to  the  Holy  Spirit ;  and  this  can  not 


THE    IMAGE    OF   GOD    IN   MAN  245 

be.  Scripture  never  places  the  Father  and  the  Holy  Spirit  in  such 
relation.  Moreover,  it  would  put  the  Son  outside  the  greatest  act 
of  creation,  viz.,  the  creation  of  man.  And  Scripture  says:  "  With- 
out Him  was  not  anything  made  that  was  made";  and  again: 
"  Through  Him  are  created  all  things  in  heaven  and  on  earth." 

Hence  this  "  Let  Us  "must  be  taken  either  as  a  plural  of  maj- 
esty, of  which  the  Hebrew  has  not  a  single  instance  in  the  first  per- 
son; or  as  spoken  by  the  Triune  God,  the  Three  Persons  mutually 
addressing  each  other ;  or  the  Father  addressing  the  two  other  Per- 
sons.    A  third  is  impossible. 

Supposing  that  the  Three  Persons  address  each  other ;  the  image 
can  not  refer  to  the  Son,  because,  speaking  of  His  own,  He  can  not 
say,  "  Our  image,"  without  including  the  other  Persons.  Or  sup- 
pose that  the  Father  speaks  to  the  Son  and  to  the  Holy  Spirit; 
even  then  it  can  not  refer  to  the  image  of  the  Son,  since  He  is  the 
Father's  image  and  not  that  of  the  Holy  Spirit.  In  whatever  sense 
it  be  taken,  this  view  is  untenable,  outside  the  analogy  of  Scrip- 
ture, and  inconsistent  with  the  correct  interpretation  of  Gen.  i.  26. 

To  put  it  comprehensively :  If  the  divine  image  refers  to  the 
Christ,  it  must  be  that  of  the  Eternal  Son,  or  of  the  Mediator,  or  of 
Christ  in  the  flesh.  These  three  are  equally  impossible.  First,  the 
Son  is  Himself  engaged  in  the  creative  work.  Second,  without  sin 
there  is  no  need  of  a  Mediator.  Third,  Scripture  teaches  that  the 
Son  became  flesh  after  our  image,  but  never  that  in  the  creation  we 
became  flesh  after  His  image. 

The  notion  that  the  divine  image  refers  to  Christ's  righteousness 
and  holiness,  implying  that  Adam  was  created  in  extraneous  right- 
eousness, confounds  the  righteousness  of  Christ  which  we  embrace 
by  faith  and  which  did  not  exist  when  Adam  was  created,  and  the 
original,  eternal  righteousness  of  God  the  Son.  It  is  true  that  David 
embraced  the  imputed  righteousness,  altho  it  existed  not  in  his  day, 
but  David  was  a  sinner  and  Adam  before  the  fall  was  not.  He  was 
created  without  sin ;  hence  the  divine  image  can  not  refer  to  the 
righteousness  of  Christ,  revealed  only  in  relation  to  sin. 

In  our  present  sad  condition,  we  confess  unconditionally  thai 
even  now  we  lie  in  the  midst  of  death,  and  have  our  life  outside  a* 
ourselves  in  Christ  alone.  But  we  add :  Blessed  be  God,  it  shaV. 
not  always  be  so.  With  our  last  breath  we  die  wholly  to  sin,  and  in 
the  resurrection  morning  we  shall  be  like  Him  ;  hence  in  the  etprna] 
felicity  our  life  shall  be  no  more  without  us,  but  in  us. 


246  INTRODUCTION 

Wherefore,  to  put  the  separation  which  was  caused  only  by  sin, 
and  which  in  the  saint  continues  only  on  account  of  sin,  in  Adam 
before  the  fall,  is  nothing  else  than  to  carry  something  sinful  into 
Creation  itself,  and  to  annihilate  the  divine  statement  that  man  was 
created  good. 

Wherefore  we  admonish  preachers  of  the  truth  to  return  to  the 
old,  tried  paths  in  this  respect,  and  teach  in  recitation-hall,  pulpit, 
and  catechetical  class  that  man  was  created  after  the  image  of  the 
Triune  God. 


X. 

Adam  Not  Innocent,  but  Holy. 

"  Created  in  righteousness  and  true 
holiness." — Ephts.  iv.  24. 

It  remains,  therefore,  as  of  old,  that  "  God  created  man  good  and 
after  His  own  image,  that  is,  in  true  righteousness  and  holiness, 
that  he  might  rightly  know  God  his  Creator,  heartily  love  Him, 
and  live  with  Him  in  eternal  happiness,  and  glorify  and  praise 
Him."  Or,  as  the  Confession  of  Faith  has  it :  "  We  believe  that  God 
created  man,  out  of  the  dust  of  the  earth,  and  made  him  and 
formed  him  after  His  own  image  and  likeness,  good  and  righteous 
and  wholly  capable  in  all  things  to  will,  agreeably  to  the  will  of 
God." 

Every  representation  which  depreciates  in  the  least  this  orig- 
inal righteousness  must  be  opposed. 

Adam's  righteousness  lacked  nothing.  The  idea  that  he  was 
holy  inasmuch  as  he  had  not  sinned,  and  by  constant  development 
could  increase  his  holiness,  so  that  if  he  had  not  fallen  he  would 
have  attained  a  still  holier  state,  is  incorrect,  and  betrays  ignorance 
in  this  respect. 

The  difference  between  man  in  his  original  state  and  in  the 
state  of  sin  is  similar  to  that  between  a  healthy  child  and  a  sick 
man.  Both  must  increase  in  strength.  If  the  child  remains  what 
he  is,  he  is  not  healthy.  Health  includes  growth  and  increase  of 
strength  and  development  until  maturity  be  attained.  The  same 
is  true  of  the  sick  man ;  he  can  not  remain  the  same.  He  must  re- 
cover or  grow  worse.  If  he  is  to  recover,  he  must  gain  in  strength. 
So  far  both  are  the  same. 

But  here  the  similarity  ceases.  Increase  the  strength  of  the  sick 
at  once,  and  he  will  be  well,  and  what  he  should  be.  But  add  the 
full  strength  of  the  man  to  the  child,  and  he  will  be  unnatural  and 
abnormal.  For  the  present  the  child  needs  no  more  than  he  has.  He 
lacks  nothing  sX  any  given  moment.     To  be  a  normal  child  in  perfect 


248  INTRODUCTION 

health,  he  must  be  just  what  he  is.  But  the  sick  person  needs  a 
great  deal.  In  order  to  be  healthy  and  normal  he  must  not  be  what 
he  is.  The  child,  so  far  as  health  and  strength  are  concerned,  is 
perfect ;  but  the  sick  person  is  very  imperfect  as  regards  health 
and  strength.  The  condition  of  the  child  is  good ;  that  of  the  sick 
man  is  not  good.  And  the  former's  healthy  growth  is  something 
entirely  different  from  the  latter's  improvement  in  health  and 
strength. 

This  shows  how  wrong  it  is  to  apply  sanctification  to  Adam  be- 
fore the  fall.  Sanctification  is  inconceivable  with  reference  to  sin- 
less man;  foreign  to  the  conception  of  a  creature  whom  God  calls 
good. 

"  Excellent,"  says  one;  hence  Adam  was  born  in  childlike  inno- 
cence gradually  to  attain  a  higher  moral  development  without 
sin ;  hence  sanctification  after  all ! 

Certainly  not.  A  believer's  sanctification  ceases  when  he  dies. 
In  death  he  dies  to  all  sin.  Sanctification  is  merely  the  process 
which  partly  or  wholly  eliminates  sin  from  man.  Wholly  freed 
from  sin  he  is  holy,  and  it  is  impossible  to  make  him  holier  than 
holy.  Even  for  this  reason  it  is  absurd  to  apply  sanctification  to 
holy  Adam.  What  need  of  washing  that  which  is  clean?  Sanctifi- 
cation presupposes  unholiness,  and  Adam  was  not  unholy.  Sin 
being  absolutely  absent,  holiness  lacks  nothing,  but  is  complete. 
Adam  possessed  the  same  complete  holiness  now  possessed  by  the 
child  of  God  in  which  he  stands  by  faith,  and  by  and  by  in  actual- 
ity when  through  death  he  has  absolutely  died  unto  sin. 

Yet  in  heaven  God's  children  will  not  stand  still — their  joy  and 
glory  will  ever  increase ,  but  not  their  holiness,  which  lacks  noth- 
ing. And  to  be  more  holy  than  perfectly  holy  is  impossible. 
Their  development  will  consist  in  drinking  ever  more  copiously 
from  the  life  of  God. 

The  same  is  true  of  sinless  Adam ;  he  cou/d  n/^t  be  sanctified. 
Sanctification  is  healing,  and  a  healthy  person  can  not  be  healed. 
Sanctification  is  to  rid  one  of  poison,  but  poison  can  not  be  drawn 
from  the  hand  that  is  not  bitten.  The  idea  of  holy,  holier,  holiest 
is  absurd.  That  which  is  broken  is  not  whole,  and  that  which  is 
whole  is  not  broken,  Sanctification  is  to  make  whole,  and  since  in 
Adam  nothing  was  broken,  there  was  nothing  to  be  made  whole. 
More  whole  than  whole  is  unthinkable. 


ADAM    NOT    INNOCENT,  BUT    HOLY  249 

Yet  altho  holy,  Adam  did  not  remain  what  he  was,  he  did  not 
stand  still  without  an  aim  in  life.  Take,  e.g.,  the  difference  be- 
tween him  and  God's  child.  The  latter  possesses  an  unlosable 
treasure,  but  Adam's  was  losable,  for  he  lost  it.  Not  that  he  was 
less  holy  than  the  saint ;  for  this  has  nothing  to  do  with  it. 

Let  us  illustrate.  Of  two  dishes,  one  is  fine  cut  glass,  hence 
breakable ;  the  other  coarse  glass,  but  unbreakable.  Is  the  latter 
now  more  whole  than  the  former.!*  Or  can  the  former  be  made 
more  whole?  Of  course  not;  its  wholeness  has  nothing  to  do  with 
its  being  breakable  or  not.  Hence  the  fact  that  Adam's  treasure 
was  losable  does  not  touch  the  question  of  holiness  at  all.  Wheth- 
er one  is  holy,  or  yet  to  be  made  holy,  does  not  depend  upon  the 
losableness  of  the  treasure,  but  upon  its  being  lost  or  not. 

How  this  holy  development  of  Adam  was  to  be  effected  we  do 
not  know.  We  may  not  inquire  after  things  God  has  kept  from  us. 
As  sinners  we  can  no  more  conceive  of  such  sinless  development 
than  of  the  unfolding  of  the  heavenly  glory  of  God's  children. 

Confining  ourselves  closely  to  Scripture,  we  know,  first,  that 
sinless  man  would  not  have  died ;  second,  that  as  a  reward  for  his 
work  he  would  have  received  eternal  life,  i.e.,  being  perfectly  able 
from  moment  to  moment  to  do  God's  will,  he  would  always  have 
desired  and  loved  to  do  it ;  and  for  this  he  would  have  been  rewarded 
continually  with  larger  measures  of  the  life  and  glory  of  God. 

We  compare  the  contrast  between  Adam's  condition  and  ours 
to  that  between  the  royal  child  born  possessor  of  vast  treasures, 
and  a  child  of  poverty  that  must  earn  everything  or  have  another 
to  earn  it  for  him.  The  former  lacks  nothing,  altho  he  has  only 
toys  to  dispose  of;  for  his  father's  whole  estate  is  his.  Growing 
up,  he  does  not  become  richer,  for  his  treasures  remain  the  same ; 
but  he  becomes  more  conscious  of  them.  So  Adam's  treasures 
would  never  have  increased,  for  all  things  were  his,  only  as  his  life 
gradually  unfolded  would  he  have  had  more  conscious  enjoyment 
of  his  riches. 

Hence  original  righteousness  does  not  refer  to  Adam's  degree  of 
development,  nor  to  his  condition,  but  to  his  state  ;  and  that  was  per- 
fectly good. 

All  those  unscriptural  notions  of  Adam  s  increase  in  holiness 
spring  from  the  unscriptural  ideas  which  men,  tempted  by  panthe- 
istic heresies,  have  formed  of  holiness. 


150  INTRODUCTION 

"  Be  ye  then  perfect  even  as  your  Father  which  is  in  heaven  is 
perfect,"  does  not  mean  that  you,  boastful  man,  puffed  up  by  philo- 
sophic madness,  must  become  like  God.  A  creature  you  will  re- 
main even  in  your  highest  glory.  And  in  that  glory  the  conscious- 
ness that  you  are  nothing  and  God  is  all  will  be  cause  of  your  most 
fervent  adoration  and  deepest  delight.  No,  Christ's  word  simply 
means,  "Be  whole,"  &\en  as  your  Father  in  heaven  is  whole  and 
complete.  Saying  that  an  earthen  vessel  must  be  as  whole  and 
sound  as  a  porcelain  vase  does  not  mean  that  it  must  become  like 
that  vase.  The  former  costs  but  a  few  cents;  the  latter  is  paid  for 
with  gold.  It  only  means  that  as  the  vase  is  whole  as  a  vase,  so 
must  the  earthen  vessel  be  whole  as  an  earthen  vessel. 

Hence  Christ's  word  means:  There  are  rents  in  your  being; 
the  edges  are  chipped;  you  are  injured  and  damaged  by  sin.  This 
must  not  be  so.  There  may  be  no  break  in  your  being,  nor  should 
defect  mar  your  completeness.  Behold,  as  your  Father  in  heaven 
is  unbroken,  so  must  you  be  wholly  sound,  unbroken,  and  perfect. 
That  is,  as  God  remained  perfect  as  God,  so  must  you  remain  whole 
and  complete  as  man,  a  creature  in  the  hand  of  your  Creator. 

But  generally  it  is  not  so  understood.  The  current  view  is  as 
follows:  They?rj/ step  in  holiness  is  conflict  with  sin.  Second,  s\n 
becomes  weak.  Third,  sin  is  almost  overcome.  Fourth,  sin  is  en- 
tirely cast  out.  Then  only,  the  higher  sanctification  sets  in,  and  the 
whole  ladder  is  being  climbed;  higher  and  higher,  ever  more  holy, 
until  holiness  reaches  the  clouds. 

Of  course,  those  who  accept  these  fancies  can  not  think  of  Adam 
otherwise  than  as  created  on  a  low  plane  of  holiness  and  called  to 
attain  higher  sanctification.  But  if  there  is  but  one  sanctification, 
i.e.,  dying  to  sin  and  making  the  broken  nature  whole,  then  higher 
sanctification  regarding  Adam  is  out  of  the  question.  To  Adam's 
holiness  nothing  can  be  added.  He  would  have  known  his  Crea- 
tor, heartily  loved  Him,  and  lived  with  Him  in  eternal  happiness 
to  glorify  and  praise  Him,  in  ever-increasing  consciousness ;  but  all 
this  would  not  have  added  anything  to  his  righteousness  and  holi- 
ness. To  suppose  this  would  betray  a  lack  of  understanding  con- 
cerning holiness.  Thus  love  is  confounded  with  holiness;  right- 
eousness with  life ;  state  with  condition ;  word  with  being;  and  the 
very  foundations  are  wrenched  from  their  place. 

Yea,  worse.  Souls  are  severed  from  Jesus.  For  he  that  fails 
to  understand  original  righteousness  can  not  understand  how  Christ 


ADAM    NOT    INNOCENT,  BUT   HOLY  251 

is  given  us  of  God  for  righteousness,  sanctification,  and  redemption. 
He  desires  Jesus  most  assuredly.  But  how?  "  Jesus  finds  the  sin- 
ner sick  and  perishing  by  the  wayside.  He  puts  him  on  His  ani- 
mal, and  takes  him  to  the  inn,  where  He  pays  for  him  until  he  is 
restored."  Hence  always  the  same  representation  as  tho,  after 
being  redeemed,  one  must  still  seek  for  a  righteousness  and  holi- 
ness which  by  constant  progress  will  only  gradually  be  attained. 

If  this  is  correct  then  Christ  is  not  our  righteousness,  sanctifica- 
tion, nor  redemption ;  at  the  most.  He  is  a  Friend  supporting  and 
strengthening  us  in  our  efforts  to  attain  righteousness  and  holiness. 
No ;  if  the  Church  is  to  glory  once  more  in  the  comforting  and 
blessed  confession  that  in  Christ  it  possesses  novj  absolute  righteous- 
ness, holiness,  and  redemption,  it  must  first  begin  by  understanding 
original  righteousness,  i.e.,  that  Adam  can  not  love,  can  not  live  in 
blessed  fellowship  with  God,  except  he  be  first  perfectly  righteous 
and  completely  holy. 


Second  Cbapter. 
THE   SINNER  TO  BE  WROUGHT  UPON. 


XL 
Sin  Not  Material. 

•*  Sin  is  lawlessness." — i  John 
iii.  4  (R.  v.). 

What  did  sin  blunt,  corrupt,  and  destroy  in  God's  image-bearer 
Adam? 

Altho  we  can  touch  this  question  but  lightly,  yet  it  may  not  be 
slighted.  It  is  evident  that,  for  the  right  understanding  of  the 
Spirit's  work  regenerating  and  restoring  the  sinner,  the  knowledge 
of  his  condition  is  absolutely  necessary.  The  mend  must  fit  the 
rend.  The  wall  must  be  rebuilt  where  the  breach  is  made.  The 
healing  balm  must  suit  the  nature  of  the  wound.  As  the  disease 
is,  so  must  also  be  the  cure.  Or  stronger  still,  as  is  the  death  so 
must  be  the  resurrection.  The  fall  and  the  rising  again  are  inter- 
dependent. 

Generalities  are  useless  in  this  respect.  Ministers  who  seek  to 
uncover  and  expose  the  man  of  sin  by  simply  saying  that  men  are 
wholly  lost,  dead  in  trespasses  and  sin,  lack  the  cutting  force  which 
alone  can  lay  open  the  putrefying  sores  of  the  heart.  These  serious 
matters  have  been  treated  too  lightly.  Hence  by  ignoring  general 
and  shallow  statements  we  simply  return  to  the  tried  and  proven 
ways  of  the  fathers. 

We  begin  with  pointing  to  one  of  the  principal  errors  of  the 
present  time,  viz.,  that  of  a  resuscitated  Manicheism. 

It  would  be  very  interesting  to  present  in  a  condensed  form  this 
sparkling  and  fascinating  heresy  to  the  Church  of  to-day.  The 
immediate  effect  would  be  the  discovery  of  the  origin  or  the  fam- 
ily likeness  of  much  pernicious  teaching  that  is  brought  into  the 


SIN    NOT   MATERIAL  253 

Church  under  a  Christian  name,  and  by  believing  men.  But  this  is 
impossible.     We  confine  ourselves  to  a  few  features. 

The  mission  of  divine  truth  in  this  world  is  not  to  wanton  with 
its  wisdom,  but  to  expose  it  as  a  lie.  Divine  Wisdom  does  not 
compromise  with  the  speculations  and  delusions  of  worldly  wisdom, 
but  calls  them  folly  and  demands  their  surrender.  In  the  Kingdom 
of  truth,  light  and  darkness  are  pronounced  opposites.  Hence  the 
Church,  in  coming  in  contact  with  the  learning  and  philosophy  of 
the  Gentile  world,  came  into  direct  and  open  conflict  with  it. 

Compared  to  Israel,  the  heathen  world  was  wonderfully  wise, 
learned,  and  scientific;  and  from  her  scientific  standpoint,  she 
looked  down  with  deep  contempt  and  infinite  condescension  upon 
the  foolishness  of  Christianity.  That  foolish,  ignorant,  and  un- 
lettered Christianity  was  not  only  false,  but  beneath  their  notice, 
unworthy  to  be  discussed.  In  Athens  the  good-natured  people  had 
for  these  unthinking  men  and  their  absurd  babbling  a  Homeric 
smile,  and  the  sinister  ridiculed  them  with  bitter  satire.  But  nei- 
ther the  one  nor  the  other  ever  seriously  considered  the  matter,  for 
it  was  unscientific. 

And  yet,  after  all,  that  stupid  Christianity  carried  the  day.  It 
made  progress.  It  obtained  influence,  even  power.  At  last  the 
great  minds  and  geniuses  of  those  days  began  to  feel  attracted  to  it ; 
until,  after  a  conflict  of  nearly  a  century,  the  hour  came  when  the 
heathen  world  was  compelled  to  come  down  from  its  proud  self-con- 
ceit, and  acknowledge  that  ignorant,  unlettered,  and  unscientific 
Christianity.  The  lively  preaching  of  these  Nazarenes  had  drowned 
the  disputations  of  those  dry  philosophers.  Soon  the  stream  of  the 
world's  life  passed  by  their  schools,  and  flowed  into  the  channel  of 
the  wonderful  and  inexplicable  Jesus.  Even  before  the  Church 
was  two  centuries  old,  proud  heathendom  discovered  that,  mortally 
wounded,  its  life  was  in  jeopardy. 

Then  under  the  appearance  of  honoring  Christianity,  with  cun- 
ning craftiness  Satan  vitally  injured  it,  injecting  poison  into  its 
heart.  In  the  second  century  three  learned  and  complicated  sys- 
tems, viz..  Gnosticism,  Manicheism,  and  Neo-Platonism,  tried 
with  one  gigantic  effort  to  smother  it  in  the  mortal  embrace  of  their 
heathen  philosophies. 

When  the  cross  was  planted  on  Calvary,  two  empires  existed  in 
heathendom:  one  in  the  West,  containing  Rome  and  Greece,  and 
the  other  in  the  East,  with  its  centers  in  Babylon  and  Egypt.     In 


254     THE    SINNER   TO    BE   WROUGHT    UPON 

each  of  these  centers,  Babylon  and  Athens,  there  were  men  of  rare 
mental  powers,  comprehensive  learning,  and  profound  wisdom. 
Both  centers  were  swayed  by  a  worldly  and  heathen  philosophy ; 
altho  its  character  in  both  was  different.  And  from  these  centers 
the  effort  proceeded  to  drown  Christianity  in  the  waters  of  their 
philosophy.  Neo-Platonism  tried  to  accomplish  this  in  the  West ; 
Manicheism  in  the  East ;  and  Gnosticism  in  the  center. 

Manes  was  the  man  who  conceived  thatmagnificant,  fascinating, 
and  seducing  system  which  bears  his  name.  He  was  a  profound 
thinker,  and  died  about  the  year  270.  He  was  a  genial,  pious,  and 
seriously  minded  man ;  he  confessed  Christ.  It  was  even  the  aim 
and  object  of  his  zeal  to  extend  the  Lord's  Kingdom.  But  one 
thing  annoyed  him  :  the  endless  conflict  between  Christianity  and 
his  own  science  and  philosophy.  He  thought  there  were  points  of 
agreement  and  contact  between  the  two,  and  their  reconciliation 
was  not  impossible.  To  bridge  the  chasm  seemed  beautiful  to 
him.  One  might  walk  to  the  heathen  world,  and  in  its  brilliant 
philosophies  discover  many  elements  of  divine  origin ;  and  return- 
ing to  Christianity  lead  some  serious  heathens  to  the  cross  of 
Christ.  The  profound  glory  of  the  Christian  faith  filled  him  with 
enthusiasm ;  yet  he  remained  almost  blind  for  the  inherent  false- 
hood of  heathen  philosophy.  And  as  both  lay  mingled  in  his  soul, 
so  it  was  his  aim  to  devise  a  system  wherein  both  should  be  inter- 
woven, and  transformed  into  a  brilliant  whole. 

It  is  impossible  here  to  introduce  his  system,  which  shows  that 
Manes  had  thought  out  every  deep  question  of  vital  importance, 
and  with  comprehensive  eye  had  measured  all  the  dimensions  of 
his  cosmology.  All  that  we  can  do  is  to  show  how  this  system  led 
to  false  ideas  of  sin. 

This  was  caused  by  his  mistaken  notion  that  the  word  "  flesh  " 
refers  only  to  the  body  ;  while  Scripture  uses  it  as  referring  to  sin, 
signifying  the  whole  human  nature,  which  does  not  love  the  things 
that  are  above,  but  the  things  of  the  flesh.  Flesh  in  this  sense  refers 
more  directly  to  the  soul  than  to  the  body.  The  works  of  the  flesh 
are  twofold :  one  class,  touching  the  body,  are  the  sins  related  to 
fornication  and  lust ;  the  other,  touching  the  soul,  consist  of  sins 
connected  with  pride,  envy,  and  hatred.  In  the  sphere  of  visible 
things  it  finishes  its  image  with  shameless  fornication ;  in  the  realm 
of  invisible  things  it  ends  with  stiffnecked  pride. 

Scripture  teaches  that  sin  does  not  originate  in  the  flesh,  but  in 


SIN    NOT   MATERIAL  255 

Satan,  a  being  without  a  body.  Coming  from  him  it  crept  first  into 
man's  soul,  then  manifested  itself  in  the  body.  Hence  it  is  un- 
scriptural  to  oppose  "  flesh "  and  "spirit"  as  "body"  and  "soul." 
This  Manes  did;  and  this  is  the  object  of  his  system  in  all  its  fea- 
tures. He  taught  that  sin  is  inherent  in  matter,  in  the  flesh,  in  all 
that  is  tangible  and  visible.  "  The  soul,"  he  says,  "  is  your  friend, 
but  the  body  your  enemy.  The  successful  resistance  of  the  excite- 
ment of  the  blood  and  the  palate  would  free  you  from  sin."  In  his 
own  Eastern  environment  he  saw  much  more  carnal  sin  than  spir- 
itual; and  deceived  by  this  he  closed  his  eyes  for  the  latter,  or 
accounted  for  it  as  caused  by  the  excitement  from  evil  matter. 

And  yet  Manes  was  quite  consistent,  which,  giant-thinker  that 
he  was,  could  not  be  otherwise.  He  arrived  at  this  singular  con- 
clusion, essential  to  his  system  of  inventions,  that  Satan  was  not 
a  fallen  angel,  not  a  spiritual,  incorporeal  being,  but  matter  itself. 
Hid  in  matter  was  a  power  tempting  the  soul,  and  that  power  was 
Satan.  This  explains  how  Manes  could  offer  the  Church  such  a 
singular  and  anti-scriptural  doctrine. 

Manes's  system  bordered  on  materialism.  The  materialist  says 
that  our  thinking  is  the  burning  of  phosphorus  in  the  brain ;  and 
that  lust,  envy,  and  hatred  are  the  result  of  a  discharge  of  certain 
glands  in  the  body.  Virtue  and  vice  are  only  the  result  of  chemi- 
cal processes.  In  order  to  make  a  man  better,  freer,  and  nobler, 
we  should  send  him  to  the  laboratory  of  a  chemist,  rather  than  to 
school  or  church.  And  if  it  were  possible  for  the  chemist  to  lift 
the  man's  skull,  and  subject  his  cells  and  nerves  to  the  necessary 
chemical  process,  then  vice  would  be  conquered,  and  virtue  and 
higher  wisdom  would  effectually  sway  him. 

In  a  similar  way  Manes  taught  that  as  an  inherent  and  insep- 
arable power  sin  dwells  in  the  blood  and  muscles,  and  is  transmitted 
by  them.  He  exhorted  to  eat  certain  herbs,  as  a  means  to  overcome 
sin.  There  were,  so  he  taught,  animals,  but  chiefly  plants,  into 
which  had  penetrated  a  few  redeeming  and  liberating  particles  of 
light  from  the  kingdom  of  light  which  opposed  evil;  by  eating 
these  herbs  the  blood  would  absorb  these  saving  particles  of  light, 
and  thus  the  power  of  sin  would  be  broken.  In  fact,  the  church  of 
Manes  was  a  chemical  laboratory,  in  which  sin  was  opposed  by 
material  agencies. 

This  shows  the  logical  consistency  of  the  system,  and  the  weak- 
ness of  the  men  who,  having  adopted  the  false  notion  of  material 


256     THE    SINNER   TO    BE    WROUGHT    UPON 

sin,  try  to  escape  from  its  tight  hold  upon  them.  But  they  can  not, 
for,  altho  discarding  the  draperies  belonging  to  the  system  as  un- 
suitable to  our  Western  mode  of  thinking,  they  adopt  his  whole 
line  of  theories,  and  thus  falsify  not  only  the  doctrine  of  sin,  but 
almost  every  other  part  of  the  Christian  doctrine. 

And  yet  it  is  only  in  the  doctrine  of  inherited  sin  that  this  error  is 
so  conspicuous  that  it  can  not  escape  detection. 

It  is  argued:  By  virtue  of  his  birth  man  is  a  sinner.  Hence 
every  child  must  inherit  sin  from  his  parents.  And  since  an  infant 
in  the  cradle  is  ignorant  of  spiritual  sin,  and  without  spiritual  de- 
velopment, the  inherited  sin  must  hide  in  his  being,  transmitted 
with  the  blood  from  the  parents.  And  this  is  pure  Manicheism,  in 
that  it  makes  sin  to  be  transmitted  as  a  power  inherent  in  matter. 

The  Confession  of  the  Reformed  churches,  speaking  of  inherited 
sin,  says,  in  article  xv. : 

"We  believe  that,  through  the  disobedience  of  Adam,  original  sin  is 
extended  to  all  mankind ;  which  is  a  corruption  of  the  whole  nature,  and 
an  hereditary  disease,  wherewith  infants  themselves  are  infected  even  in 
their  mother's  womb,  and  which  produceth  in  man  all  sorts  of  sin,  being 
in  him  as  a  root  thereof;  and  therefore  is  so  vile  and  abominable  in  the 
sight  of  God,  that  it  is  sufficient  to  condemn  all  mankind.  Nor  is  it  by 
any  means  abolished  or  done  away  by  baptism  ;  since  sin  always  issues 
forth  from  this  woful  source,  as  water  from  a  fountain  :  notwithstanding 
it  is  not  imputed  to  the  children  of  God  unto  condemnation,  but  by  His 
grace  and  mercy  is  forgiven  them.  Not  that  they  should  rest  securely  in 
sin,  but  that  a  sense  of  this  corruption  should  make  believers  often  to  sigh, 
desiring  to  be  delivered  from  the  body  of  this  death.  Wherefore  we  reject 
the  error  of  the  Pelagians,  who  assert  that  sin  only  proceeds  from  imita- 
tion." 

It  is  apparent,  therefore,  that  the  Reformed  churches  positively 
acknowledge  inherited  sin  ;  acknowledge  also  that  the  child  inherits 
sin  from  the  parents;  even  calls  this  sin  an  infection,  which  adheres 
even  to  the  unborn  child.  But — and  this  is  the  principal  thing — 
they  never  say  that  this  inherited  sin  is  something  material,  or  is 
transmitted  as  something  material.  The  word  infection  is  used  met- 
aphorically, and  therefore  is  not  the  proper  expression  for  the  thing 
which  they  wish  to  confess.  Sin  is  not  a  drop  of  poison  which,  like 
a  contagious  disease,  passes  from  father  to  child.  No;  the  trans- 
mission of  sin  remains  in  our  confession  an  unexplained  mystery, 
only  symbolically  expressed. 


SIN    NOT    MATERIAL  257 

But  this  does  not  satisfy  the  spirits  of  the  present  day.  Hence 
the  new  school  of  Manicheists  which  has  arisen  among  us. 

Entangled  in  the  meshes  of  this  heresy  are  they  who  deny  the 
doctrine  of  inherited  guilt ;  who  entertain  false  views  of  the  sacra- 
ments, holding  that  in  Baptism  the  poison  of  sin  is  at  least  partly 
removed  from  the  soul,  and  that  in  the  communion  of  the  Holy 
Supper  the  sinful  flesh  absorbs  a  few  particles  of  the  glorified  body ; 
and  lastly,  who  advocate  the  ridiculous  efforts  to  banish  demoniac 
influences  from  rooms  and  vacant  lots.  All  this  is  foolish,  unscrip- 
tural,  and  yet  defended  by  believing  men  in  our  own  land.  O 
Church  of  Christ,  whither  art  thou  straying? 


XII. 
Sin  Not  a  Mere  Negation. 

"  I  see  another  law  in  my  members, 
warring  against  the  law  of  my 
mind." — Rom.  vii.  23. 

Dr.  Bohl's  theory,  that  sin  is  a  mere  loss,  default,  or  lack,  is  an 
error  almost  as  critical  as  Manicheism. 

This  should  not  be  misunderstood.  This  theory  does  not  deny 
that  the  sinner  is  unholy,  nor  that  he  ought  to  be  holy.  It  says 
two  things:  (i)  that  there  is  no  holiness  in  the  sinner;  but— and 
this  indicates  the  real  character  of  sin — (2)  that  there  ought  to  be 
holiness  in  him.  A  stone  does  not  hear,  nor  a  book  see ;  yet  the 
one  is  not  deaf,  nor  the  other  blind.  But  the  man  who  lost  both 
hearing  and  seeing  is  both ;  for  to  his  being  as  a  man  both  are  es- 
sential. A  chair  can  not  walk;  yet  it  is  not  lame,  for  it  is  not  ex- 
pected to  walk.  But  the  cripple  is  lame,  for  walking  belongs  to  his 
being.  A  horse  is  not  holy,  neither  is  it  a  sinner.  But  man  is  a 
sinner,  for  he  is  unholy,  and  holiness  belongs  to  his  being;  an  un- 
holy man  is  defective  and  unnatural.  Sin,  says  St.  John,  "  is  un- 
righteousness," non-conformity  to  the  law,  or,  literally,  lawlessness, 
anomy.  Hence  sin  appears  only  in  beings  subject  to  the  divine, 
moral  law,  and  consists  in  non-conformity  to  that  law. 

Thus  far  this  view  presents  only  clear,  pure  truth;  and  every 
effort  to  give  sin  positive,  independent  entity  contradicts  the  Word 
and  leads  to  Manicheism,  as  may  be  seen  in  the  otherwise  fervent 
and  conscientious  Moravian  Brethren. 

Scripture  denies  that  sin  has  a  positive  character  implying  that 
it  has  independent  being.  Independent  being  is  either  created  or 
uncreated.  If  uncreated,  it  must  be  eternal,  and  this  is  God  alone. 
If  created,  God  must  be  its  Creator;  which  can  not  be,  for  He  is 
not  sin's  Author.  Hence  Scripture  does  not  teach  that  the  power 
of  evil  inheres  in  matter,  but  in  Satan.     And  what  is  Satan?    Not 


SIN    NOT   A   MERE   NEGATION  259 

an  evil  substance,  but  a  being  intended  for,  and  endued  with  holi- 
ness ;  who  abandoned  himself  to  unholiness,  in  which  he  entangled 
himself  hopelessly,  becoming  absolutely  unholy.  The  doctrine  of 
Satan  opposes  the  false  notion  that  sin  has  entity.  The  idea  that 
sin  is  a  power,  in  the  sense  of  a  faculty  exercised  by  an  independ- 
ent being,  is  inconsistent  with  Scripture, 

So  far  we  heartily  agree  with  Dr.  Bohl,  and  acknowledge  that 
he  has  maintained  the  old  and  tried  conviction  of  believers,  and  the 
positive  confession  of  the  Church. 

But  from  this  he  infers  that,  before  and  after  the  fall,  Adam  re- 
mained the  same,  with  this  difference  only,  that  after  the  fall  he 
lost  the  splendor  of  righteousness  in  which  he  had  walked  hitherto. 
So  far  as  his  powers  and  being  were  concerned,  he  remained  the 
same.  And  this  we  do  not  accept.  It  would  make  man  like  a  lamp 
brightly  burning  but  soon  extinguished,  when  it  became  a  dark 
body.  Or  like  a  fireplace  radiant  with  the  glow  and  heat  of  fire 
this  moment,  cold  and  dark  the  next.  Or  like  a  piece  of  iron  mag- 
netized by  the  electric  current,  which  gives  it  power  to  attract; 
but  the  current  withdrawn  it  ceases  to  be  a  magnet.  When  the 
light  was  blown  out,  the  lamp  remained  uninjured.  When  the  fire 
died,  the  hearth  remained  what  it  was  before.  And  when  the  elec- 
tric fluid  left  the  iron,  it  was  iron  still. 

And  so  says  Dr.  Bohl  regarding  man.  As  the  current  passes 
through  the  iron  and  magnetizes  it,  so  did  the  divine  righteousness 
pass  through  Adam  and  make  him  holy.  As  the  lamp  shines  when 
lighted  by  the  spark,  so  did  Adam  shine  when  touched  by  the  spark 
of  righteousness.  And  as  the  hearth  is  aglow  with  the  fire,  so  was 
Adam  radiant  with  the  righteousness  created  in  him.  But  now  sin 
comes  in.  That  is,  the  lamp  goes  out,  the  hearth  becomes  cold, 
the  magnet  is  mere  iron  again.  And  man  stands  robbed  of  his 
splendor,  dark  and  unable  to  attract.  But  for  the  rest  he  remained 
what  he  was.  Dr.  Bohl  says  distinctly  that  man  remained  the 
same  before  and  after  the  fall. 

And  with  this  we  do  not  agree.  As  a  sinner  he  was  still  man, 
undoubtedly,  but  man  as  the  fathers  confessed  at  Dordt  (3d  and  4th, 
Head  of  Doctrine,  art.  xvi.) :  "  That  man  by  the  fall  did  not  cease  to 
be  a  creature  endowed  with  understanding  and  will,  nor  did  sin, 
which  pervaded  the  whole  race  of  mankind,  deprive  him  of  the  hu- 
man nature,  but  brought  upon  him  depravity  and  spiritual  death." 
Dr.  Bohl's  statement,  "  Wenn  wir  die  Creatur  aus  jenem  Stande 


26o      THE   SINNER   TO   BE   WROUGHT    UPON 

hin  ausgetreten  denken,  so  bleibt  diese  Creatur  intact,  "*  directly 
contradicts  this  pure  confession  of  the  Reformed  churches. 

No,  the  creature  did  not  remain  intact,  but  sin  so  seriously  in- 
jured him  that  he  became  corrupt  even  unto  death.  And  tho  we 
acknowledge  that  sin  has  no  real  being  in  itself,  yet  with  equal  de- 
cision we  confess,  with  our  church,  that  its  workings  are  by  no 
means  merely  negative,  nor  exclusively  privative,  but  most  assur- 
edly very  positive. 

Scripture  and  our  best  theologians  (Rivet,  Wallaeus,  and  Poly- 
ander  by  name,  in  their  Synopsis)  teach  this  so  positively  that  it  is 
almost  unimaginable  how  Dr.  Bohl  could  reach  any  other  conclu- 
sion. Wherefore  we  are  inclined  to  believe  that  on  this  point  he 
agrees  with  the  confession  of  the  orthodox  churches,  but  that  he 
represents  this  matter  in  such  a  strange  manner  for  the  sake  of 
something  else  and  for  an  entirely  different  reason. 

If  we  may  be  frank,  we  would  represent  Dr.  Bohl's  course  of 
reasoning  as  follows ;  "  My  teacher,  Dr.  Kohlbrugge,  used  to  op- 
pose strenuously  the  men  that  proudly  say  to  the  unconverted: 
Touch  me  not,  for  I  am  holier  than  thou.  He  used  to  emphasize 
the  fact  that  the  child  of  God,  considered  for  a  moment  out  of 
Christ,  lies  in  the  midst  of  death,  just  as  much  as  the  unconverted. 
Hence  regeneration  does  not  change  man  in  the  least.  Before  and 
after  regeneration  he  is  exactly  the  same,  with  this  difference  only, 
that  the  converted  man  believes  and  by  \).\s  faith  walks  in  reflected 
righteousness.  And  if  this  be  so,  then  regarding  the  fall  the  re- 
verse is  true ;  that  is,  before  and  after  the  fall  man  as  such  |re- 
mained  the  same ;  the  only  change  was  that  in  the  fall  he  left  the 
righteousness  in  which  he  stood  before." 

Of  course  we  may  be  mistaken,  but  we  dare  surmise  that  in  this 
way  Dr.  Bohl  was  tempted  to  this  strange  representation,  and  even 
to  declare,  as  Rome  teaches,  that  desire  in  itself  is  no  sin ;  some- 
thing which  the  Reformed  Church  on  the  ground  of  the  Tenth  Com- 
mandment has  always  opposed. 

In  fact,  the  question  regarding  the  fall  and  the  restoration  is  the 
same.  If  the  restoration  does  not  affect  our  being,  then  neither 
can  the  fall  have  affected  it.  If  redemption  means  only  that  a  sin- 
ner is  set  in  the  light  of  Christ's  righteousness,  then  the  fall  can 
mean  no  more  than  that  man  stepped  out  of  that  light.     The  two 

•"Removed  by  sin  from  this  state  [of  righteousness],  man  remains 
intact. " 


SIN    NOT   A   MERE   NEGATION  261 

belong  together.  As  it  was  in  the  fall,  so  it  must  be  in  the  restora« 
tion.  A  man's  confession  regarding  redemption  will,  if  he  be  con- 
sistent, tell  what  his  confession  is  regarding  the  fall. 

Hence  if  Dr.  Kohlbrugge  had  confessed  that  the  restoration 
leaves  our  being  unchanged  and  only  translates  us  into  a  sphere  of 
righteousness,  then  it  should  be  conceded  that  he  also  represented 
the  fall  as  leaving  man  and  his  nature  intact.  And  this  is  the  very- 
thing  which  we  can  not  concede.  Dr.  Kohlbrugge  has  uncovered 
the  actual  corruption  of  our  nature  so  forcibly  and  positively  that 
we  will  never  believe  that  according  to  his  confession  the  fall  left 
our  being  and  nature  intact.  Neither  can  we  concede  that,  accord- 
ing to  his  confession,  in  the  restoration  our  being  is  left  unchanged, 
even  tho  he  connected  that  change,  very  rightly,  with  the  mystic 
union  and  with  the  dying  to  sin  in  death. 

If  he  had  actually  intended  to  teach  what  many  of  his  followers 
allege  that  he  did  teach,  then  we  would  call  his  tendency  very  defi- 
nitely erroneous.  But  since  we  can  not  interpret  him  without  taking 
into  account  the  misrepresentations  which  he  so  strongly  opposed, 
and  especially  since  his  confession  concerning  the  corruption  of  our 
nature  was  so  complete,  we  maintain  that  he  did  not  teach  what 
many  of  his  followers  offer  in  his  name. 

Hence  our  way  is  in  the  very  opposite  direction.  Dr.  Bohl  says 
in  other  words:  "Dr.  Kohlbrugge,  in  his  doctrine  of  redemption, 
starts  from  the  idea  that  redemption  leaves  the  sinner  essentially 
unchanged;  hence  neither  can  sin  have  affected  him  essentially." 
While,  on  the  contrary,  we  say :  "  The  confession  of  Kohlbrugge  re- 
garding the  corruption  of  our  nature  is  so  complete  that  he  could 
not  but  confess  that  in  the  fall,  and  therefore  in  the  restoration,  our 
nature  was  changed.  " 

But  be  that  as  it  may,  this  is  sure,  that,  according  to  the  word 
and  the  constant  doctrine  of  our  Church,  sin,  altho  it  is  essentially 
and  exclusively  privative  and  lacking  independent  existence,  is 
yet  in  its  consequences  positive  and  in  its  workings  destructive. 

Our  nature  did  not  remain  unchanged,  but  it  became  cor- 
rupt ;  and  corruption  is  the  significant  word  which  indicates  the 
fatal,  positive  effects  which  resulted  from  this  loss  of  life  and 
light. 

A  plant  needs  light  to  flourish ;  light  excluded,  it  not  only  lan- 
gfuishes,  but  soon  withers,  decays,  and  at  last  mildews;  and  this  is, 
corruption.     Cancer  and  smallpox  are  not  merely  loss  of  health ; 


262      THE    SINNER   TO   BE   WROUGHT   UPON 

but  have  a  positive  action,  which  destroys  the  tissues,  creates 
morbid  growth,  and  corrupts  the  body.  A  corpse  is  not  merely  a 
lifeless  body,  but  the  seat  of  dissolution  and  corruption.  In  like 
manner  we  are  conscious  that  sin  is  not  merely  the  deprivation  of 
holiness,  but  we  feel  its  fearful  activity,  corruption,  and  dissolution 
which  destroy.  Strongest  proof  is  the  fact  that  we  do  not  joyfully 
welcome  God's  grace  entering  the  heart,  but  with  our  whole  na- 
ture oppose  it.  There  is  conflict  which  would  be  impossible  if 
that  deprivation  and  loss  had  not  developed  evil  which  opposes 
God. 

This  corruption  does  not  stop  until  the  body  is  dissolved  into 
its  original  constituents.  We  do  not  know  what  became  of  the 
bodies  of  Moses,  Enoch,  and  Elijah.  The  Scripture  makes  excep- 
tions. Christ  did  not  see  corruption,  and  believers  living  at  the 
Lord's  return  will  escape  bodily  dissolution.  But  all  others,  mil- 
lions upon  millions,  will  sicken  and  die,  and  return  to  the  dust. 
Physical  disease  and  death  are  types  of  soul-corruption  which  mere 
words  fail  to  express. 

Scripture  and  experience  show  clearly  that  Satan  is  not  merely 
bereaved,  emptied,  and  lacking,  but  that  he  causes  a  positive,  cor- 
rupting activity  to  proceed  from  him.  And  so,  tho  in  less  degree, 
the  soul  has  become  corrupt;  not  only  in  the  sense  of  being  dark 
instead  of  light,  chilled  instead  of  warm,  but  that  this  deprivation 
has  resulted  in  positive  destruction  and  corruption.  Cold  is  loss  of 
heat,  which  on  reaching  the  freezing-point  causes  positive  injury 
to  the  body.  And  such  is  sin.  As  to  its  being,  it  is  loss,  depriva- 
tion, and  nakedness.  And  these  cause  in  body  and  soul  a  destruc- 
tive working  which  affects  man's  whole  nature,  binding  him  with 
the  fetters  of  corruption,  altho  he  ceases  not  to  be  man. 

We  reconcile  s\n's  privative  beifig  with  its  positive  working  as  fol- 
lows: depriving  the  ceaseless  activity  of  man's  nature  of  correct 
guidance,  it  runs  in  the  wrong  direction,  and  wrests  and  destroys 
itself. 


XIII. 
Sin  a  Power  in  Reversed  Action. 

*'  If  ye  live  after  the  flesh  ye  shall 
die." — Rom.  viii.  13. 

Altho  sin  is  originally  and  essentially  a  loss,  alack,  and  a  depri- 
vation, in  its  working  it  is  a  positive  evil  and  a  malignant  power. 

This  is  shown  by  the  apostolic  injunction  not  only  to  put  on 
the  new  man,  but  also  to  put  off  the  old  man  with  his  works.  The 
well-known  theologian  Maccovius,  commenting  on  this,  aptly  re- 
marks: "This  could  not  be  enjoined  if  sin  were  merely  a  loss  of 
light  and  life ;  for  a  mere  lack  ceases  as  soon  as  it  is  supplied." 

If  sin  were  merely  a  loss  of  righteousness,  nothing  more  would 
be  needed  than  its  restoration,  and  sin  would  disappear.  The  put- 
ting off  of  the  old  man,  or  the  laying  down  of  the  yoke  of  sin,  etc., 
would  be  out  of  the  question.  The  light  has  only  to  dispel  the 
soul's  darkness,  and  its  health  will  be  restored.  But  experience 
shows  that  after  we  are  enlightened,  and  the  Holy  Spirit  has  entered 
our  heart,  there  is  still  a  fearful  power  of  evil  in  us;  and  this  to- 
gether with  the  oft-repeated  command  not  only  to  accept  the  right- 
eousness of  God  which  is  by  faith,  but  also  to  put  off,  to  lay  aside, 
to  be  separate  from  all  that  is  evil,  proves  sin's  positive  character 
and  evil  power  in  individuals  and  in  society,  in  spite  of  its  priva- 
tive character. 

Hence  the  Church  confesses  that  our  nature  has  become  corrupt, 
which  of  course  refers  us  back  to  the  divine  image.  Our  nature 
did  not  disappear,  nor  cease  to  be  our  nature,  but  in  its  orignal  fea- 
tures and  organs  it  remained  the  same ;  the  divine  image  was  not 
lost,  not  even  partly  lost,  but  remained  stamped  upon  every  man, 
and  will  remain  even  in  the  place  of  eternal  destruction,  simply 
because  he  can  not  divest  himself  of  his  nature  except  by  annihila- 
tion. But  this  being  impossible,  he  must  retain  it  as  man  and  in 
mans  nature.  Wherefore  Scripture  teaches  long  after  the  fall  that 
the  sinner  is  created  after  the  image  of  God.     But  concerning  the 


264      THE    SINNER   TO    BE    WROUGHT   UPON 

effects  of  its  features  in  the  fallen  human  nature,  the  very  opposite  is 
true :  these  features  have  totally  disappeared ;  the  ruins  which  re- 
main speak  at  the  most  only  of  the  glory  and  beauty  which  have 
perished. 

Hence  the  two  meanings  of  the  divine  image  should  no  longer 
be  confounded.  Forasmuch  as  it  lies  in  our  nature  it  will  remain 
evermore ;  so  far  as  its  effects  upon  the  quality,  i.e.,  the  condition, 
of  our  nature  are  concerned,  //  is  lost.  The  human  nature  can  be 
corrupted,  but  not  annihilated.  It  can  exist  as  nature,  even  tho  its 
former  attributes  be  lost,  and  replaced  by  opposite  workings. 

Our  fathers  discriminated  between  our  nature's  being  and  its 
zvell-being.  In  its  being  it  remained  uninjured  and  unharmed,  i.e., 
it  is  still  the  real,  human  nature.  But  in  its  condition,  i.e.,  in  its 
attributes,  workings,  and  influences,  in  its  well-being  it  is  wholly 
changed,  and  corrupt.  Tho  a  poisoned  insect-sting  destroys  the 
sight,  yet  the  eye  remains.  So  is  the  human  nature ;  deprived  of 
its  luster,  checked  in  its  normal  activity,  internally  sore  and  foul, 
yet  it  is  the  human  nature. 

But  it  is  corrupted  by  sin.  It  is  true  man  has  retained  the  power 
to  think,  will,  and  feel,  besides  many  glorious  talents  and  faculties, 
even  genius  sometimes;  but  this  does  not  touch  the  corruption  of 
his  nature.  Its  corruption  is  this,  that  the  life  which  should  be  de- 
voted -to  God  and  animated  by  Him  is  devoted  with  downward 
tendencies  to  earthly  things.  And  this  reversed  action  has  changed 
the  whole  organism  of  our  being. 

If  the  divine  righteousness  were  essential  to  human  life,  this 
could  not  be  so ;  but  it  is  not.  According  to  Scripture,  death  is  not 
annihilation.  The  sinner  is  dead  to  God,  but  in  this  very  death 
throbs  and  thrills  his  life  to  Satan,  to  sin,  and  to  the  world.  If  the 
sinner  had  no  sinful  life.  Scripture  could  never  say,  "  Mortify  there- 
fore your  members  which  are  upon  the  earth,"  for  it  is  impossible 
to  mortify  that  which  is  dead  already. 

Let  not  similarity  of  sound  deceive  us.  Human  life  is  inde- 
structible. When  the  soul  is  active  in  conformity  to  the  divine 
law.  Scripture  says  that  the  soul  lives ;  if  not,  it  is  dead.  This 
death  is  the  wages  of  sin.  But  for  this  reason  man's  nature  does 
not  cease  to  work,  to  use  its  organs,  to  exert  its  influence.  This  is 
the  life  of  our  members  which  are  in  the  earth — our  sinful  life,  the 
Inward  festering  of  evil  in  our  corrupt  nature ;  for  this  reason  it 
must  be  mortified.     Hence  since  sin  does  not  stop  our  nature  from 


SIN   A    POWER    IN    REVERSED    ACTION      265 

breathing,  working,  feeding,  but  it  causes  these  activities,  which 
under  the  sway  of  the  divine  law  did  run  well  and  were  full  of 
blessing,  to  go  wrong  and  be  corrupt. 

The  mainspring  of  a  watch  when  detached  from  its  pivot  does 
not  stop  it  immediately;  but,  being  uncontrolled,  it  turns  the 
wheels  so  rapidly  as  to  ruin  the  mechanism.  In  some  respects 
human  nature  resembles  that  watch.  God  has  endowed  it  with 
power,  life,  and  activity.  Controlled  by  His  law  it  worked  well, 
and  in  harmony  with  His  will.  But  sin  deprived  it  of  that  control, 
and,  while  these  powers  and  faculties  remain,  they  run  the  wrong 
way,  and  destroy  the  delicate  organism.  If  this  condition  lasted 
only  for  a  moment,  and  the  sinner  were  immediately  restored 
to  his  original  state,  it  could  not  lead  to  a  positive  evil.  But  sin 
lasts  a  long  time ;  sixty  centuries  already.  Its  pernicious  influence 
has  its  effects  ;  a  secondary  disease  after  the  primary  ;  accumulations 
of  sinful  dregs,  and  increase  of  festering  sores.  The  threads  of  our 
nature's  woof  pull  awry.  Everything  wrenches  itself  out  of  joint. 
And,  since  this  secondary  activity  continues  unchecked,  its  perni- 
cious working  becomes  more  and  more  critical. 

What  causes  a  felon?  A  sliver  in  the  finger  slightly  checks  the 
circulation.  But  the  blood  continues  to  circulate,  trying  to  over- 
come the  obstacle.  The  additional  pressure  against  the  walls  of 
the  capillaries  produces  more  friction,  and  raises  the  temperature. 
The  surrounding  tissue  swells,  the  delicate  blood-vessels  contract, 
the  friction  increases,  and  the  boil  throbs.  Altho  this  is  but  the 
continued  normal  action  of  the  circulation,  yet  it  causes  positive 
evil.  There  is  a  local  congestion ;  poisonous  matter  inflames  the 
healthy  tissue,  and  the  parts  are  thoroughly  diseased. 

And  such  is  sin's  course.  The  action  of  our  powers  continues, 
but  in  the  wrong  direction.  This  causes  disorder  and  irregulari- 
ties, which  inflame  our  nature  toward  evil.  This  sinful  inflamma- 
tion creates  unnatural  and  wicked  deformations,  which  excite  the 
tissues  of  the  soul  to  a  morbid  growth,  compared  by  Scripture  to 
foul  matter.  And  from  this  unholy  marsh  poisonous  gases  rise 
continually  throughout  our  entire  nature.  Thus  the  whole  economy 
is  disordered.  Having  run  away  from  the  divine  law  without  dis- 
cipline, body  and  soul  become  unruly.  Hence,  incited  by  its  own 
inherent  action,  it  involves  itself  more  deeply  and  runs  farther 
away  from  God.  As  a  train  that  is  derailed  destroys  itself  by  its 
very  speed,  so  does  man,  having  left  the  track  of  the  divine  law. 


266     THE   SINNER  TO   BE   WROUGHT   UPON 

compass  his  own  ruin  by  the  inherent  impetus  and  working.  Noth- 
ing more  is  needed.  Destruction  results  necessarily  from  the  very 
life  of  our  nature. 

Hence  the  sinner  is  without  knowledge,  the  feelings  are  per- 
verted, the  will  is  paralyzed,  the  imagination  polluted,  the  desires 
are  impure,  and  all  his  ways,  tendencies,  and  outgoings  are  at  once 
evil;  not  in  our  eyes,  perhaps,  but  because  everything  fails  to  meet 
the  demands  of  God,  who  wills  that  everything  should  meet  Him 
at  the  terminus  of  the  road,  i.e.,  to  be  with  Him  and  in  Him,  ma- 
king His  glory  the  final  end  of  all  things. 

And  this  makes  many  things  sinful,  unrighteous,  and  wicked 
that  we  consider  fair  and  beautiful.  Not  our  taste,  but  God's,  de- 
cides what  is  right  or  wrong.  He  that  wishes  to  know  what  that 
taste  is,  let  him  learn  it  from  the  law  of  God.  That  law  is  standard 
and  plummet.  But  whatever  the  sinner  seeks  or  desires  to  please 
God,  he  will  not  do  this;  e.^.,  he  may  be  perfectly  willing  to  hang 
his  coat  on  the  wall  and  do  it  gracefully,  but  not  on  the  nail  that 
God  has  struck  in  the  wall  of  our  life ;  everywhere  else,  but  not 
there.  Thus  everything  in  him  becomes  evil,  his  entire  nature  cor- 
rupt, incapable  of  any  good,  inclined  to  all  evil,  yea,  prone  to  hate 
God  and  his  neighbor.  The  deed  may  not  be  born,  but  the  very 
inclination  and  desire  are  sin. 

Like  the  Romish  and  some  Lutheran  theologians,  Dr.  Bohl  de- 
nies this.  He  teaches  that  there  was  this  desire  in  holy  Adam  and 
even  in  Christ;  not  indulged,  but  held  in  with  bit  and  bridle — as 
tho  God  had  created  man  with  this  ravenous  animal  of  desire  in  his 
heart,  while  He  endowed  him  at  the  same  time  with  the  power  to 
restrain  it.  To  keep  this  desire  in  constant  check  would  have  been 
man's  greatest  excellence. 

But  this  is  not  according  to  Scripture.  Nothing  shows  that  holy 
Adam  had  any  desire  for  the  things  he  saw.  The  possibility  of 
desire  was  created  only  by  the  prohibition :  "  Of  the  tree  of  knowl- 
edge of  good  and  evil  thou  shalt  not  eat."  And  even  after  that  we 
do  not  discover  a  trace  of  desire  in  him.  Such  eager  looking  at  the 
fruit  was  not  witnessed  until  Satan  had  inwardly  incited  Eve  nof  to 
eat  of  the  fruit,  but  through  it  to  become  like  God.  This  is  the  first 
desire  awakened  in  man's  heart,  and  that  only  after  his  eye  was 
opened  to  see  that  the  tree  was  good  for  food  and  pleasant  to  the 
eye. 

In  the  righteous  state  Adam  was  filled  with  peace,  harmony,  and 


SIN   A   POWER    IN    REVERSED   ACTION      267 

divine  success ;  without  a  trace  of  the  anxiety  necessarily  springing 
from  the  task  of  restraining  a  dangerous  monster.  And  in  the 
heavenly  glory  it  will  not  be  an  endless  desire  to  restrain  desire, 
but  a  complete  deliverance  from  desire ;  not  the  suction  of  a  great 
deep  in  our  bottomless  heart,  but  all  its  depths  filled  with  the  love 
of  God. 

The  commandment  "  Thou  shalt  not  covet"  is  absolute.  The 
Lord  Jesus  was  a  total  stranger  to  covetousness.  He  never  desired 
what  God  withheld.  In  Gethsemane's  terrible  denouement  He  de- 
sired, yet  not  to  receive  a  gift,  but  to  retain  His  own,  i.e.,  when 
tinder  the  curse  not  to  be  forsaken  of  His  God. 


XIV. 
Our  Guilt.* 

"Wherefore  as  by  one  man  sin  entered 
into  the  world,  and  death  by  sin ;  and 
so  death  passed  upon  all  men,  for 
that  all  have  sinned." — Rom.  v.  12. 

Sin  and  guilt  belong  together,  but  may  not  be  confounded  or 
considered  synonymous,  any  more  than  sanctification  and  righteous- 
ness. It  is  true  guilt  rests  upon  every  sin,  and  in  every  sin  there  is 
guilt,  yet  the  two  must  be  kept  distinct.  There  is  a  difference  be- 
tween the  blaze  and  the  blackened  spot  upon  the  wall  caused  by  it ; 
long  after  the  blaze  is  out  the  spot  remains.  Even  so  with  sin  and 
guilt.  Sin's  red  blaze  blackens  the  soul;  but  long  after  sin  is  left 
behind,  the  black  mark  upon  the  soul  continues. 

Hence  it  is  of  the  greatest  importance  that  the  difference  between 
the  two  be  clearly  understood,  especially  since  confounding  sin  and 
guilt  must  lead  to  confounding  justification  and  sanctification.  much 
to  the  injury  of  the  earnestness  of  the  Christian  life. 

If  there  were  but  one  man  on  earth,  he  might  sin  against  him- 
self, but  he  could  not  be  in  debt  to  others.  And  if,  in  accordance 
with  modern  theology,  there  were  no  living  God,  but  only  an  idea 
of  good,  he  might  sin  against  the  idea  of  good,  and  be  exceedingly 
bad,  but  he  could  not  owe  God  anything. 

Men  owe  God  because  He  lives,  exists,  never  departs,  forever 
abides ;  and  because  from  moment  to  moment  they  must  transact 
business  with  Him.  With  men  we  open  accounts  at  will,  and  the 
firms  in  town  with  which  we  do  so  we  will  owe,  but  those  with 
which  we  do  not  deal  we  will  never  owe.  Many  apply  this  to  God, 
under  the  mistaken  notion  that  if  they  have  no  dealings  with  God 
they  can  not  owe  Him  anything  and  have  nothing  to  do  with  Him. 
To  them  He  is  non-existing ;  how,  then,  could  they  be  in  debt  to 
Him? 

*The  Dutch  word  '" schu/d,"  literally  "debt  "  includes  the  ideas  oi  guiit 
and  of  indebtedness  in  general. — Trans. 


OUR    GUILT  269 

But  He  does  exist.  It  is  not  left  to  our  choice  to  have  dealings 
with  Him  or  not.  No ;  in  all  our  affairs,  at  all  times  and  under  all 
circumstances,  we  must  deal  and  do  deal  with  Him.  There  is  no 
business  transacted  from  which  He  is  excluded.  In  all  things  what- 
ever we  do.  He  is  the  most  interested.  In  all  our  dealings  and  en- 
terprises He  is  the  Preferred  Creditor  and  Senior  Partner,  with 
whom  we  must  settle  the  final  account.  We  may  bury  ourselves  in 
Sahara,  or  go  down  to  the  bottom  of  the  ocean,  but  our  account 
with  Him  never  ceases.  We  can  never  get  away  from  Him.  Work- 
ing with  head,  heart,  or  hand,  we  open  an  account  with  God;  and 
while  we  can  deceive  other  partners  and  withhold  part  of  the  ac- 
counts from  them.  He  is  omniscient,  He  knows  the  most  secret 
items.  He  keeps  account  of  the  smallest  fraction,  charging  it  to  us; 
and  before  we  have  begun  our  reckoning,  He  has  already  finished  it 
and  laid  it  before  us. 

Considering  this,  we  realize  what  it  is  to  be  debtors  to  God ;  for 
while  at  every  moment,  under  all  circumstances,  and  in  all  transac- 
tions we  are  obliged  to  pay  Him  the  whole  profit,  we  never  do  it, 
at  least  not  in  full.  Hence  every  act  of  head,  heart,  or  hand  creates 
an  item  of  debt,  which  we  withhold  from  Him  through  being  either 
unwilling  or  unable  to  pay. 

If  God  were  not,  or  we  were  not  related  to  Him,  we  would  be 
sinners,  but  not  debtors.  If  a  few  years  ago  the  floods  at  Krakatoa 
had  engulfed  all  Java,  as  was  feared,  would  it  not  have  canceled 
all  our  debts  to  Java  firms?  Or  suppose  that  the  Patriotic  Party  in 
China  once  more  came  into  power,  and  the  Emperor  decreed  to 
close  the  empire  against  all  nations,  so  that  during  a  whole  life- 
time it  was  impossible  to  settle  business  with  Chinese  firms.  Would 
this  not  cancel  all  the  debts  owing  to  China?  Hence  if  God  should 
cease  to  be  or  dissolve  every  tie  binding  us  to  Him,  all  our  debts 
would  at  once  be  obliterated.  But  this  is  impossible ;  the  tie  that 
binds  us  to  Him  can  not  be  broken.  Our  debt  to  Him  remains;  we 
can  not  cancel  it ;  and  our  thinking  that  we  can  cancel  it  does  not 
alter  the  fact. 

God  created  us  for  Himself,  and  that  creates  our  indebtedness 
to  Him.  If  He  had  simply  created  us  for  the  pleasure  of  creating 
us,  as  a  boy  blows  soap  bubbles  for  his  entertainment,  and  for  the 
rest  did  not  care  what  became  of  us,  there  could  be  no  debt.  But 
He  did  create  us  for  Himself,  with  the  absolute  charge,  in  all  things, 
at  every  moment,  and  under  all  circumstances,  to  lay  life's  gain 


270      THE   SINNER   TO   BE   WROUGHT   UPON 

npon  the  altar  of  His  name  and  glory.  He  does  not  allow  us  to 
live  three  days  out  of  every  ten  for  Him,  and  the  rest  for  ourselves; 
in  fact,  He  does  not  release  us  for  a  single  day  or  moment.  He  de- 
mands the  gain  of  our  existence  for  His  glory,  unconditionally, 
always  and  evermore.  He  planned  and  created  us  for  this.  Thus  He 
claims  us.  Hence,  being  our  Lord  and  Ruler,  He  can  not  forego  the 
last  farthing  of  life's  gain ;  and  since  we  never  have  rendered  Him 
the  tribute,  we  are  absolutely  His  debtors. 

What  money  is  among  men,  loi^e  is  to  God.  He  says  to  you  and 
me  and  every  man :  "  As  you  thirst  for  gold,  so  do  I  thirst  for  love. 
I,  your  God,  want  your  love,  your  whole  heart's  love.  This  is  My 
due.  This  I  claim.  This  debt  I  can  not  cancel.  Thou  shalt  love 
the  Lord  thy  God  with  all  thy  heart,  with  all  thy  mind,  and  with 
all  thy  strength."  The  fact  that  we  do  not  render  Him  this  love, 
or  render  it  unholily  and  fraudulently,  makes  us  His  debtors  perpet- 
ually. 

We  know  that  this  is  called  the  juridical  conception ,  and  that  in 
these  effeminate  days  men  desire  to  escape  from  the  tension  of  the 
right;  wherefore  the  ethical  conception  is  lauded  to  the  skies.  But 
this  whole  sentiment  springs  directly  from  a  lie.  This  opposition 
against  the  juridical  conception  sets  God  at  naught  or  ignores  Him. 
Even  without  believing  in  God,  one  can  dream  of  an  ideal  of  holi- 
ness, according  to  the  ethical  conception,  and  strive  against  sin 
with  inward  thirst  after  holiness.  But  with  only  an  ideal  to  incite 
him,  there  can  be  no  room  for  right,  no  debt  to  God ;  for  one  can 
not  owe  an  ideal,  but  only  a  living  persori.  But  when  I  acknowledge 
the  living  God,  and  that  always  and  in  all  things  I  have  to  do  with 
Him,  then  He  has  righteous  claims  upon  me  which  I  have  violated, 
and  which  must  be  satisfied.  Hence  the  juridical  conception  comes 
first. 

The  ethical  idea  is ;  "I  am  sick ;  how  can  I  become  well?"  The 
juridical  idea  is ;  "  How  can  God's  violated  right  be  restored?  "  The 
latter  is  therefore  of  primary  importance.  The  Christian  must  not 
first  consider  himself,  but  God.  It  wounds  the  very  heart  of  the  Re- 
formed confession  when  the  pulpit  aims  at  sanctification  without 
zeal  for  justification.  Dr.  Kohlbrugge's  chief  merit  lay  in  this,  that 
for  God's  sake  he  grieved  over  this  neglect,  and  with  powerful  hand 
stemmed  the  tide  of  despising  God's  right,  saying  to  church  and 
individual:  "Brethren,  justification  first." 

To  say,  "  Oh,  if  I  were  only  holy,  my  indebtedness  to  God  would 


OUR   GUILT  271 

not  much  trouble  me/'  sounds  very  nice,  but  is  deeply  sinful.  God's 
children  desire  to  be  holy  as  the  children  of  vanity  desire  riches, 
honor,  and  glory — i.e..  it  is  always  a  desire  for  ourselves,  our  own 
ego,  in  ourselves  to  be  what  we  are  not.  And  the  Lord  God  is  left 
out.  It  is  the  Pelagian  regulating  his  relation  to  God  according  to 
his  own  satisfaction.  In  fact  it  is  sin,  tho  gilded,  against  the  first 
and  highest  commandment. 

Surely  the  soul's  deep  longing  after  holiness  is  good  and  right, 
but  only  after  the  question  is  settled ;  "  How  can  I  be  restored  to  my 
right  position  before  God,  whose  rights  I  have  violated?"  If  this  is 
our  chief  concern,  then  and  then  only  do  we  love  the  Lord  our  God 
more  than  ourselves.  Then  the  prayer  for  holiness  will  follow  as 
a  matter  of  course;  not  from  the  selfish  desire  to  be  spiritually  en- 
riched, but  from  the  soul's  deep  longing  nevermore  to  violate  the 
divine  right. 

This  is  deep  and  far-reaching,  and  many  will  deem  it  harsh.  Yet 
we  may  not  hold  it  back.  The  unmanly  and  sickly  Christianity 
now  vaunted  is  not  that  of  the  fathers  and  of  the  godly  of  all  ages 
and  of  the  apostles  and  prophets.  The  Lord  musi  be  First  and 
Highest ;  instead  of  being  honored,  His  law  is  dishonored  when,  in 
the  pursuit  of  holiness,  God's  right  is  forgotten.  Even  among  men 
it  is  called  dishonest  when,  with  debts  unpaid,  a  man  goes  to  Amer- 
ica only  to  make  his  fortune ;  and  we  would  say  to  him :  "  Honestly 
to  pay  your  debts  is  more  honorable  than  merely  to  be  successful." 
And  this  applies  here.  God's  child  does  not  enter  the  kingdom 
with  a  cry  for  success,  but  to  balance  his  accounts  with  God. 

And  this  explains  the  difference  between  sin  and  guilt.  A  burg- 
lar repents  and  returns  the  stolen  treasure.  Is  he  now  entitled  to 
freedom?  Surely  not;  but  if  he  fall  into  the  hands  of  the  law,  he 
shall  be  tried,  sentenced,  and  suffer  in  prison  the  penalty  of  the  vio- 
lated right.  Let  us  apply  this  to  sin.  There  is  a  /au>  and  God  is 
its  Author.  Measured  by  it,  transgressions  of  omission  and  com- 
mission are  called  sin.  But  that  is  not  all.  The  law  is  not  a  fetish, 
nor  the  formula  of  a  moral  ideal,  but  God's  co?nmandment ;  "  God 
spake  all  these  words."  God  stands  behind  that  law,  maintains  it, 
and  lays  it  before  us.  Hence  it  is  not  enough  to  measure  our  act 
by  the  law  and  call  it  sin,  but  it  must  also  be  accounted  for  to  the 
Lawgiver  and  acknowledged  to  be  guilt. 

Sin  is  non-conformity  of  an  act,  person,  or  condition  to  the  divine 
law  ;  guilt,  encroachment  by  act,  person,  or  condition  upon  the  di- 


2/2      THE    SINNER   TO    BE    WROUGHT   UPON 

vine  right.  Sin  creates  guilt,  because  God  has  a  claim  upon  all  our 
acts.  If  it  were  possible  to  act  independently  of  God,  such  acts, 
tho  deviating  from  the  moral  ideal,  would  not  create  guilt.  But 
since  every  man's  act  in  every  condition  stands  in  account  with 
God,  every  sin  creates  guilt.  Yet  they  are  not  identical.  Sin 
always  lies  in  us  and  leaves  our  relation  to  God  untouched ;  but 
g^ilt  does  not  lie  in  us,  but  always  refers  to  our  relation  to  God. 
Sin  shows  what  we  are  in  our  antagonism  to  the  moral  ideal ;  but 
guilt  refers  to  God's  claim  upon  us  and  to  our  denial  of  that  claim. 

If  God  were  like  a  man,  this  guilt  would  be  compromised.  But 
He  is  not.  His  claims  are  as  pure  gold,  perfectly  right ;  not  arbi- 
trary, but  based  invariably  upon  a  firm  and  unchangeable  founda- 
tion. Hence  nothing  can  be  deducted  from  that  guilt.  According 
to  the  strictest  measure  the  whole  remains  forever  charged  to  us. 

Hence  fhe punishment.  For  punishment  is  but  God's  act  of  re- 
sisting the  encroachment  upon  His  rights.  Such  encroachments 
rob  God,  and  would,  if  persisted  in,  detract  from  His  divinity.  And 
this  can  not  be  if  He  be  God  indeed.  Hence  His  majesty  operates 
directly  against  this  encroachment.  And  this  constitutes  punish- 
ment. Sin,  guilt,  and  punishment  are  inseparable.  Only  because 
guilt  pursues  sin,  and  punishment  prosecutes  guilt,  can  sin  exist  in 
God's  universe. 


XV. 
Our  Unrighteousness. 

"  My  Spirit  shall  not  always  strive 
with  man." — Gen.  vi.  3. 

Before  discussing  the  work  of  the  Holy  Spirit  in  the  sinner's 
restoration,  let  us  consider  the  interesting  but  much-neglected  ques- 
tion whether  man  stood  in  fellowship  with  the  Holy  Spirit  before 
the  fall. 

If  it  is  true  that  the  original  Adam  returns  in  the  regenerated 
man,  it  follows  that  the  Holy  Spirit  must  have  dwelt  in  Adam  as 
He  now  dwells  in  God's  children.  But  this  is  not  so.  God's  word 
teaches  the  following  differences  between  the  two : 

1.  Adam's  treasure  was  losable,  and  that  of  God's  children  un- 
losable. 

2.  The  former  was  to  obtain  eternal  life,  while  the  latter  al- 
ready possess  it. 

3.  Adam  stood  under  the  Covenant  of  Works,  and  the  regene- 
rated under  the  Covenant  of  Grace. 

These  differences  are  essential,  and  indicate  a  difference  of 
status.  Adam  did  not  belong  to  the  ungodly  that  are  justified,  but 
was  sinlessly  just.  He  did  not  live  by  an  extraneous  righteousness 
which  is  by  faith,  as  the  regenerated,  but  shone  with  an  original 
righteousness  truly  his  own.  He  lived  under  the  law  which  says: 
"  Do  this  and  thou  shalt  live;  if  not,  thou  shalt  die." 

Hence  Adam  had  no  other  faith  than  that  which  comes  by  "  nat- 
ural disposition."  He  did  not  live  out  of  a  righteousness  which  is 
by  faith,  but  out  of  an  original  righteousness.  The  cloud  of  wit- 
nesses in  Heb.  xi.  does  not  begin  with  sinless  Adam,  but  with  Abel 
before  he  was  slain. 

If  ei^ery  right  relation  of  the  soul  is  one  of  faith,  then  original 
righteousness  necessarily  included  faith.  But  this  is  not  Scriptu- 
ral. St.  Paul  teaches  that  faith  is  a  temporary  grace,  which  finally 
enters  that  higher  and  more  intimate  fellowship  called  "sight." 
Faith  as  a  means  of  salvation  is  in  Scripture  always  faith  in  Christ 


274     THE    SINNER   TO    BE    WROUGHT    UPON 

not  as  the  Son  of  God,  the  Second  Person  in  the  Trinity,  but  as  Re- 
deemer, Savior,  and  Surety — in  short,  faith  in  Christ  and  Hitn  cruci- 
fied. And  since  "Christ  and  Him  crucified"  does  not  belong  to 
unfallen  man,  it  is  incorrect  to  place  Adam  in  line  with  the  justified 
sinner  as  regards  faith.  Even  in  the  state  of  righteousness  Adam 
did  not  live  in  Christ,  for  Christ  is  only  a  sinner's  Savior,  and  not 
a  sphere  or  element  in  which  man  lives  as  man.  In  the  absence  of 
sin.  Scripture  knows  no  Christ ;  and  St.  Paul  teaches  that,  when  all 
the  consequences  of  sin  shall  have  ceased,  Christ  shall  deliver  the 
kingdom  to  the  Father,  that  God  may  be  all  in  all. 

Hence  Adam  and  the  regenerate  are  not  the  same.  The  differ- 
ence between  their  status  is  most  obvious  in  the  fact  that  out  of 
Christ  the  latter  lies  in  the  midst  of  death,  having  no  life  in  him- 
self, as  St.  Paul  says,  "  Yet  not  I,  but  Christ  who  liveth  in  me,  who 
loved  me  and  gave  Himself  for  me";  while  Adam  had  a  natural 
righteousness  in  himself. 

The  fathers  have  always  strongly  emphasized  this  point.  They 
taught  that  Adam's  original  righteousness  was  not  accidental,  su- 
pernatural, added  to  his  nature,  but  inherent  in  his  nature ;  not 
another's  righteousness  imputed  to  him  and  appropriated  by  faith, 
but  a  righteousness  naturally  his  own.  Wherefore  Adam  needed 
no  substitute ;  he  stood  for  himself  in  the  nature  of  his  own  being. 
Hence  his  status  was  the  opposite  of  that  which  constitutes  for  the 
child  of  God  the  glory  of  his  faith. 

Teachers  of  another  doctrine  are  moved,  consciously  or  un- 
consciously, by  philosophic  motives.  The  Ethical  theory  says: 
"  Properly  speaking,  our  salvation  is  not  in  the  cross,  but  in  Christ's 
Person.  He  was  God  and  Man,  hence  divine-human ;  and  this  divine- 
human  nature  is  communicable.  This  being  imparted  to  us,  our 
nature  becomes  superior  in  kind,  and  thus  we  become  the  children 
of  God."  This  is  a  denial  of  the  way  of  faith,  and  a  rejection  of  the 
cross  and  of  the  whole  doctrine  of  Scripture — a  fearful  error  indeed. 
Its  conclusion  is:  "First,  even  in  sin's  absence  the  Son  of  God 
would  have  become  man;  second,  of  course  sinless  Adam  lived  in 
the  God-man." 

Without  assenting  to  these  errors,  others  imprudently  teach  that 
sinless  Adam  lived  by  the  righteousness  of  Christ.  Let  them  be 
careful  of  the  consequences.  Scripture  allows  no  theories  which 
obliterate  the  difference  between  the  Covenant  of  Works  and  that 
of  Grace. 


OUR   RIGHTEOUSNESS  275 

But  maintaining  the  approved  doctrine  of  Adam's  original  right- 
eousness as  inherent  in  his  nature,  and  of  the  divine  image  as  being 
in-created,  the  important  question  arises:  Was  the  fellowship  of  the 
Holy  Spirit  enjoyed  by  Adam  the  same  as  that  now  possessed  by 
the  new-born  soul? 

The  answer  depends  upon  one's  opinion  concerning  the  nature 
of  the  original  righteousness.  Adam's  righteousness  was  intrinsic. 
He  stood  before  God  as  man  ought  to  stand.  He  lacked  nothing 
but  debt.  He  rendered  the  Lord  all  that  he  owed  momentarily; 
for  how  long  is  unimportant.  One  second  is  long  enough  to  lose 
one's  soul  forever,  and  equally  long  enough  to  get  into  the  right 
position  before  God.  Hence  Adam  possessed  a  perfect  good ;  for 
righteousness  implies  holiness,  and  both  were  perfect.  Even  the 
least  unholiness  would  have  created  an  immediate  deficiency  in 
Adam's  returns  to  God.  And  when  that  unholiness  became  a  fact, 
that  righteousness  was  immediately  damaged,  rent,  and  broken; 
the  least  unholiness  causes  all  at  once  the  loss  of  all  righteousness. 
Righteousness  has  no  degrees.  That  which  is  not  perfectly  straight 
is  crooked.  Right  and  perfectly  right  are  exactly  the  same.  Not 
perfectly  right  is  ?wt  right. 

The  question  "  Bou>  Adam  was  perfectly  good"  received  clearest 
light  from  the  conflict  of  the  Lutherans  Flacius  Illiricus  and  Victo- 
rinus  Strigel.  The  former  maintained  that  man  was  essentially 
righteous. 

One's  opinion  of  sin  necessarily  depends  upon  his  view  of  good- 
ness, and  vice  versa.  A  realistic  nature  is  inclined  to  conceive  of 
sin  and  goodness  as  material ;  sin  in  his  opinion  is  a  sort  of  invisi- 
ble bacterium,  almost  perceptible  by  a  powerful  microscope.  And 
virtue,  goodness,  and  holiness  have  equally  a  tangible,  independent 
existence,  measurable  and  apportionable.  This  is  not  so.  We  may 
compare  the  spiritual  to  the  material.  What  else  is  symbolism? 
The  Scripture  sets  the  example,  comparing  sin  to  a  running  sore,  to 
a  fire,  etc. ;  and  goodness  to  drops  of  water  quenching  thirst,  becom- 
ing a  fountain  of  living  water  in  the  soul.  Let  symbolism  retain 
its  honorable  place  in  this  respect.  But  symbolism  is  the  compari- 
son of  things  fl'/jsimilar,  hence  their  identity  is  excluded.  Sin  is  not 
something  substantial,  hence  virtue  and  goodness  are  not  essen- 
tially independent. 

And  yet  Flacius  Illiricus  felt  that  in  this  respect  there  was  a 
difference  between  sin  and  virtue.     Evil  is  unsubstantial,  because  it 


276      THE    SINNER   TO   BE   WROUGHT    UPON 

is  the  lack,  the  default  of  goodness.  But  goodness  is  not  the  lack, 
the  default  of  evil.  Loss  indicates  that  which  ought  to  be,  but 
which  is  lacking.  Evil  never  ought  to  be,  hence  never  can  be  a 
lack.  But  regarding  goodness  the  question  is  different,  viz.,  wheth- 
er goodness  as  an  extraneous  and  independent  element  was  added 
to  the  soul,  so  that  it  might  be  said,  "  Here  is  the  soul,  and  there  is 
goodness."  And  this  can  not  be.  As  a  ray  is  unthinkable  without 
light,  so  is  goodness  without  a  person  from  whom  it  proceeds. 

And  this  tempted  Flacius  Illiricus  to  teach  that  originally  man 
was  essentially  righteous.  Of  course  he  was  wrong.  What  he 
wanted  to  attribute  to  man  can  be  attributed  to  God  alone.  Good- 
ness is  goodness.  God  is  goodness.  Goodness  is  God.  In  God 
being  and  goodness  are  one.  There  is  and  can  be  no  difference 
between  the  two,  for  God  is  perfectly  good  in  all  respects;  hence 
the  faintest  separation  between  God  and  goodness  is  utterly  un- 
thinkable. 

God  alone  is  a  simple  Being;  not  as  Professor  Doedes  interprets 
in  his  criticism  on  the  Confession,  as  tho  in  God  there  can  be  no 
distinction  in  perso7is,  but  that  in  God  there  can  be  no  distinction 
of  essence,  as  between  Himself  and  His  attributes.  But  this  is  not 
so  in  man.  We  are  not  simple,  and  can  not  be,  in  the  same  sense. 
On  the  contrary,  our  being  remains,  tho  all  our  attributes  are 
changed  or  modified.  A  man  can  be  good  and  ought  to  be,  but 
without  goodness  he  remains  a  man ;  his  nature  becomes  comapt, 
but  his  being  remains  the  same. 

Man's  being  is  either  deceitful  or  truthful,  not  because  his  soul 
is  inoculated  with  the  matter  of  falsehood  or  of  truth,  but  by  a 
modification  of  the  quality  of  his  being.  Inherent  goodness  has  no 
reference  to  our  being,  but  only  to  the  mantier  of  its  existence.  As 
a  joyous  or  sorrowful  expression  of  countenance  is  not  the  result  of 
an  external  application,  but  of  inward  joy  or  sorrow,  so  is  the  soul 
either  good  or  bad  according  to  the  manner  of  its  standing  before 
God. 

And  this  goodness  was  Adam's  direct  inheritance  from  God. 
God  alone  is  the  overflowing  Fountain  of  all  grace ;  Adam  never 
wrought  a  particle  of  good  of  himself  on  the  ground  of  which  he 
might  have  claimed  a  reward.  Eternal  life  was  promised  him  not 
as  a  prize  or  inherent  element,  but  by  virtue  of  the  conditions  of 
the  covenant  of  works.  Just  as  strongly  as  we  oppose  the  applica- 
tion to  sinless  Adam  of  the  conditions  of  the  Covenant  of  Grace,  as 


OUR   RIGHTEOUSNESS  277 

tho  he  lived  in  Christ,  so  strongly  do  we  oppose  the  representation 
that  any  virtue,  holiness,  or  righteousness  proceeded  from  Adam  not 
wrought  by  God  in  him.  To  deny  this  would  make  sinless  Adam 
a  little  fountain  of  some  good,  and  oppose  the  confession  that  God 
alone  is  the  Fountain  of  all  good. 

Hence  we  arrive  at  this  conclusion,  that  in  Adam  all  goodness 
was  wrought  by  the  Boly  Spirit,  according  to  the  holy  ordinance 
which  assigns  to  the  Third  Person  in  the  Trinity  the  inward  oper- 
ation of  all  rational  beings. 

However,  this  does  not  imply  that  before  the  fall  the  Holy  Spirit 
dwelt  in  Adam  as  in  His  temple,  as  He  does  in  the  regenerated  child 
of  God.  In  the  latter  He  can  only  djvell,  since  the  human  nature  is 
corrupt  and  unfit  to  be  His  vehicle.  But  not  so  with  Adam.  His 
nature  was  created  and  calculated  to  be  a  vehicle  of  the  Holy  Spirit's 
operations.  Hence  Adam  and  the  regenerated  are  similar  in  this 
respect,  that  in  both  there  is  no  goodness  not  wrought  by  the  Holy 
Spirit ;  but  dissimilar,  in  that  the  latter  can  offer  only  his  sinful 
heart  for  the  Holy  Spirit's  indwelling,  while  Adam's  being  un- 
derwent His  operations  without  His  indwelling,  organically  and 
naturally. 


XVI. 
Our  Death. 

"  You  who  were  dead  in  trespasses 
and  sin." — Ephes.  ii.  i. 

Next  in  order  comes  the  discussion  of  death. 

There  is  sin,  which  is  deviation  from  and  resistance  against  the 
law.  There  is  guilt,  which  is  withholding  from  God  that  which,  as 
the  Giver  and  Upholder  of  that  law,  is  due  to  Him.  But  there  is 
a.\so  punishffiefit,  which  is  the  Lawgiver's  act  of  upholding  His  law 
against  the  lawbreaker.  The  Sacred  Scripture  calls  this  punish- 
ment "  death." 

To  understand  what  death  is,  we  must  first  ask:  "  What  is  life?" 

And  the  answer  in  its  most  general  form  is :  "A  thing  lives  if  it 
moves  from  within."  A  man  found  in  the  street,  leaning  against  a 
wall,  perfectly  motionless,  is  supposed  to  be  dead ;  but  if  he  turns 
his  head,  or  moves  his  hand,  we  know  that  he  is  alive.  The  mo- 
tion, tho  almost  imperceptible  and  so  feeble  that  it  requires  the 
practised  fingers  of  the  physician  to  detect  it,  is  always  the  sign  of 
life.  The  muscles  may  be  paralyzed,  tendons  and  sinews  rigid,  yet 
so  long  as  the  pulse  beats,  the  heart  throbs,  and  the  lungs  inhale 
the  air,  life  is  not  extinct.  In  the  doubtful  cases  of  drowning, 
trance,  or  paralysis,  the  doubt  is  not  removed,  if  removed  at  all, 
until  motion  has  been  observed.  Hence  we  may  safely  say  a  body 
lives  if  it  moves  from  within. 

This  can  not  be  said  of  a  clock,  for  its  mechanism  lacks  inher- 
ent, self-moving  power.  By  winding,  energy  may  be  stored  in  its 
mainspring,  but  when  this  is  spent  the  clock  stops.  But  life  is  not 
a  force  added  to  a  prepared  organism,  mechanically  and  temporar- 
ily, but  an  energy  that  inheres  in  the  organism  as  an  organic  prin- 
ciple. 

Hence  it  is  plain  that  the  human  body  has  no  vital  principle  in 
itself,  but  receives  it  from  the  soul.  The  arm  is  motionless  until 
moved  by  the  soul.     Even  the  functions  of  circulation,  breathing, 


OUR    DEATH  279 

and  digesting  are  animated  by  the  soul ;  for  when  the  soul  leaves 
the  body  all  these  functions  stop.  A  body  without  a  soul  is  a 
corpse.  As  physical  life  depends  upon  the  union  of  body  and  soul, 
so  is  physical  death  the  result  of  the  dissolution  of  that  bond.  As 
in  the  beginning  God  formed  the  human  body  out  of  the  dust  of  the 
earth  and  breathed  into  its  nostrils  the  breath  of  life,  so  that  it  be- 
came a  living  being,  so  is  the  dissolving  of  that  bond,  which  is 
death  to  the  body,  an  act  of  God.  Death  is  therefore  the  removal 
of  that  wonderful  gift,  the  bond  of  life.  God  withdraws  the  for- 
feited blessing,  and  the  soul  departs  in  separate  disembodiment; 
while  the  body,  freed  as  a  corpse,  is  delivered  unto  corruption. 

But  this  does  not  finish  the  process  of  death.  Life  and  death  are 
awful  opposites,  embracing  body  and  soul.  "  Dying  thou  shalt  die  " 
is  the  divine  sentence,  which  includes  the  entire  person,  and  not  the 
body  only.  That  which  possesses  creaturely  life  can  also  die  as  a 
creature.  Hence  the  soul,  being  a  creature,  can  be  dispossessed  of 
its  creaturely  life. 

We  admit  that  in  another  aspect  the  soul  is  immortal ;  but  to  pre- 
vent confusion,  we  beg  the  reader  to  put  this  fact  for  a  moment  out 
of  his  mind.     Presently  we  will  return  to  it. 

Applying  our  definition  of  life  to  the  soul  as  a  living  creature,  it 
follows  that  the  soul  lives  only  when  it  moves,  when  acts  proceed 
from  it,  and  energies  work  in  it.  But  its  vital  principle  is  not  inher- 
ent any  more  than  in  the  body,  but  comes  from  without.  Origi- 
nally it  was  not  self-existing,  but  God  gave  it  an  increated  vital 
principle  and  moving  power  which  He  sustained  and  qualified  for 
work  from  moment  to  moment.  In  this  respect  Adam  differed  from 
us.  It  is  true  that  in  the  soul  of  the  regenerated  there  is  a  vital 
principle,  but  the  source  of  its  energy  is  outside  of  ourselves  in 
Christ.  There  is  indwelling,  but  not  interpermeation.  The  dweller 
and  his  house  are  distinct.  Hence  in  the  regenerated  man  life  is 
extraneous,  its  seat  is  not  in  himself.  But  not  so  in  Adam.  Altho 
the  life-principle  energizing  the  soul  proceeded  from  God,  yet  it 
was  deposited  in  Adam  himself. 

To  obtain  gas  from  the  city's  gas-works  is  one  thing ;  to  manufac- 
ture it  at  one's  own  cost,  in  one's  own  establishment,  is  quite  an- 
other. The  regenerated  child  of  God  receives  life  directly  from 
Christ,  who  is  outside  of  Him  at  the  right  hand  of  God,  through  the 
channels  of  faith;  but  Adam  had  the  principle  of  life  within  him 
from  the  Fountain  of  all  Good.     The  Holy  Spirit  had  placed  it  in 


28o      THE    SINNER   TO    BE    WROUGHT    UPON 

his  soul,  and  kept  it  in  active  operation,  not  as  something  extrane- 
ous, but  as  inherent  in  and  peculiar  to  his  nature. 

If  Adam's  life  originated  in  the  union  which  God  had  established 
between  his  soul  and  the  life-principle  of  the  Holy  Spirit,  it  follows 
that  Adam's  death  resulted  from  God's  act  of  dissolving  that  union 
whereby  his  soul  became  a  corpse. 

But  this  is  not  all.  When  the  body  dies  it  does  not  disappear; 
the  process  of  death  does  not  stop  there.  As  a  unit  it  becomes  in- 
capable of  organic  action,  but  its  constituent  parts  become  capable 
of  producing  terrible  and  corrupting  effects.  Left  unburied  in  a 
house,  the  poisonous  gases  of  dissolution  breed  malignant  fevers 
and  cause  death  to  the  inhabitants  and  the  community.  After  this 
dissolution  of  flesh  and  blood,  which  can  not  inherit  the  kingdom  of 
God,  the  body  as  such  continues  to  exist,  with  the  possibility  of 
being  reanimated  and  refashioned  into  a  more  glorious  body,  and 
of  being  reunited  with  the  soul. 

All  this  can  almost  literally  be  applied  to  the  soul.     When  a 
I  ■'  soul  dies,  i.e.,  is  severed  from  its  life-principle,  which  is  the  Holy 
•  j  Spirit,  it  becomes  perfectly  motionless  and  unable  to  perform  any 
A  good  work.     Some   things  may  remain,  like  loveliness  upon  the 
f    !  face  of  the  dead ;  yet,  however  lovely,  it  is  useless  and  unprofitable. 
•  And  as  a  dead  body  is  incapable  of  any  act  and  inclined  to  all  dis- 
solution, so  is  a  dead  soul  incapable  of  any  good  and  inclined  to  all 
evil. 

But  this  does  not  imply  that  a  dead  soul  is  devoid  of  all  activity, 
]  any  more  than  a  dead  body.  As  the  latter  contains  blood,  carbon, 
and  lime,  so  does  the  former  possess  will,  feeling,  intelligence,  and 
imagination.  And  these  elements  of  a  dead  soul  become  equally 
\  active  with  still  more  terrible  effects,  which  are  sometimes  fearful 
,  to  behold.  But  as  the  dead  body  by  all  its  activities  can  never  pro- 
jduce  anything  to  restore  its  organism,  so  can  the  dead  soul  by  all 
its  workings  accomplish  nothing  to  restore  a  harmonious  utterance 

I   before  God.     All  its  utterances  are  sinful,  even  as  the  dead  body 
emits  only  offensive  odors. 
Yea,  the  parallel  goes  still  further.     A  corpse  may  toe  embalmed, 
stuffed  with  herbs,  and  encased  as  a  mummy.     Its  corruption  is 
invisible,  all  unsightliness  carefully  concealed.     So  do  many  men 
i  embalm  the  dead  soul,  fill  it  with  fragrant  herbs,  and  wrap  it  like  a 
!  mummy  in  a  shroud  of  self-righteousness,  so  that  of  the  indwelling 
1  corruption  scarcely  anything  appears.     But  as  the  Egyptians  by 


OUR    DEATH  281 

their  embalming  never  could  restore  life  unto  their  dead,  so  can 
these  soul-mummies  with  all  their  Egyptian  arts  never  kindle  one 
spark  of  life  in  their  dead  souls. 

A  dead  soul  is  not  annihilated,  but  continues  to  exist,  and  by 
divme  grace  can  be  reanimated  to  a  new  life.     It  continues  to  exist 
even  more  powerfully  than  the  body.     The  latter  is  divisible,  but 
the  soul  IS  not.     Being  a  unit  it  can  not  be  divided.     Hence  soul 
death  is  not  followed  by  soul-dissolution.     It  is  the  poisonous  work- 
ing of  the  soul-elements  after  death  that  causes  a  terrible  strain 
creatmg  m  the  indivisible  soul  a  vehement  desire  for  dissolution- 
friction  and  confusion  of  elements  that  cry  for  harmony  and  peace' 
violent  excitement  kindling  unholy  f^res;  but  there  is  no  dissolution 
Therefore  the  soul  is  called  immortal,  i.e.,  it  can  not  be  divided  nor 
annihilated.     It  becomes  a  corpse  insusceptible  of  dissolution   in 
which  the  poisonous  gases  will  continue  their  pestilential  work  in 
hell  forever. 

But  the  soul  is  also  susceptible  of  new  quickening  and  anima- 
tion;  dead  in  trespasses  and  sin,  severed  from  the  life-principle  its 
organism  motionless,  incapable,  and  unprofitable,  corrupt  and  un- 
done, but-still  a  human  soul.  And  God,  who  is  merciful  and 
gracious,  can  reestablish  the  broken  bond.  The  interrupted  com- 
munion with  the  Holy  Spirit  can  be  restored,  like  the  broken 
fellowship  of  body  and  soul. 

And  this  quickening  of  the  dead  soul  is  regeneration. 

We  close  this  section  with  one  more  remark:  The  breaking  of 
the  bond  which  causes  death  is  not  always  sudden.  Death  from 
paralysis  is  almost  instantaneous,  from  consumption  slow.  When 
Adam  had  sinned,  death  came  at  once ;  but  so  far  as  the  body  was 
concerned,  its  complete  severing  from  the  soul  required  more  than 
nme  hundred  years.  But  the  soul  died  at  once,  died  suddenly  •  the 
bond  with  the  Holy  Spirit  was  severed,  and  only  its  raveling 
threads  remain  active  in  the  feelings  of  s/iame. 

When  we  say  that  soul-death  may  be  less  pronounced  in  one  case 
than  in  another,  we  do  not  mean  to  imply  that  while  the  one  is 
dead  the  other  is  only  dying.  Nay,  both  are  dead,  the  soul  of  each 
is  a  corpse ;  but  the  one  is  embalmed  as  a  mummy,  and  the  other  is 
in  the  process  of  dissolution;  or,  the  conflicting,  poisonous,  and 
destructive  workings  in  the  soul  of  the  one  have  just  commenced 
while  m  the  other  they  were  stimulated  and  developed  by  educa- 


282      THE    SINNER   TO   BE    WROUGHT    UPON 

tion  and  other  agencies.     These  differences  among  different  persons 
depend  upon  the  divine  grace. 

Dissolution  in  a  body  at  the  North  Pole  is  checked;  in  a  body- 
under  the  Equator  it  is  rapidly  accomplished.  In  like  manner  dead 
souls  are  placed  in  different  atmospheres.     Hence  the  differences. 


UbirD  (Tbaptcr. 
PREPARATORY  GRACE. 


XVII. 
What  Is  It  ? 


"  We  know  that  we  have  passed  from 
death  unto  life,  because  we  love 
the  brethren.  He  that  loveth  not 
his  brother  abideth  in  death." — 
\John\\\.  14. 

It  is  unnecessary  to  say  that  the  scope  of  these  discussions  does 
not  include  the  redemptive  work  as  a  whole,  which  in  its  choicest 
sense  is  not  of  the  Holy  Spirit  alone,  but  of  the  Triune  God  whose 
royal  majesty  shines  and  sparkles  in  it  with  excellent  glory.  It 
includes  not  only  the  work  of  the  Holy  Spirit,  but  even  more  that 
of  the  Father  and  of  the  Son.  And  in  these  three  we  see  the  triune 
activity  of  the  tender  mercies  of  the  Triune  God. 

These  discussions  treat  only  that  part  of  the  work  which  reveals 
the  operation  of  the  Holy  Spirit, 

The  first  question  in  order  is  that  of  the  so-called  "  preparatory 
grace."  This  is  a  question  of  surpassing  importance,  since  Method- 
ism *  neglects  it  and  modern  orthodoxy  abuses  it,  in  order  to  make 
the  determining  choice  in  the  work  of  grace  once  more  to  depend 
upon  man's  free  will. 

Regarding  the  principal  point,  it  must  be  conceded  that  there  is 
a  "gratia  prieparans,"  as  our  old  theologians  used  to  call  it,  i.e., 
a  preparatory  grace ;  not  a  preparation  of  grace,  but  a  grace  which 
prepares,  which  is  in  its  preparatory  workings  real  grace,  undoubted 
and  unadulterated.  The  Church  has  always  maintained  this  con- 
fession by  its  soundest  interpreters  and  noblest  confessors.     It  could 

*See  the  author's  explanation  of  Methodism,  section  5  of  the  Prefaco. 


284  PREPARATORY    GRACE 

not  surrender  it  as  long-  as  God  is  indeed  eternal,  unchangeable, 
and  omnipresent;  but  by  it  must  forcibly  protest  against  the  untrue 
representation  that  God  lets  a  man  be  born  and  live  for  years  un- 
noticed and  independent  of  Himself,  suddenly  to  convert  him  at  the 
moment  of  His  pleasure,  from  that  hour  to  make  him  the  object  of 
His  care  and  keeping. 

Tho  it  can  not  be  denied  that  the  sinner  shared  this  delusion — 
because  as  he  cared  not  for  God,  why  then  should  God  care  for  him? — 
yet  the  Church  may  not  encourage  him  in  this  ungodly  idea.  For 
it  belittles  the  divine  virtues,  glories,  and  attributes.  Heretics  of 
every  name  and  origin  have  made  the  soul's  salvation  their  chief 
study,  but  almost  always  have  neglected  the  knowledge  of  God. 
And  yet  every  creed  begins  with :  "  1  believe  in  God  the  Father 
Almighty,  Creator  of  heaven  and  earth  " ;  and  the  value  of  all  that 
follows  concerning  Christ  and  our  redemption  depends  only  upon 
the  correct  interpretation  of  that  first  article.  Hence  the  Church 
has  always  insisted  upon  a  pure  and  correct  knowledge  of  God  in 
every  confession  and  in  every  part  of  the  redemptive  work ;  and  has 
considered  it  its  principal  duty  and  privilege  to  guard  the  purity  of 
this  knowledge.  Even  a  soul's  salvation  should  not  be  desired  at 
the  expense  of  the  slightest  injury  to  the  purity  of  that  confession. 

Regarding  the  work  of  preparatory  grace,  it  was  before  all 
things  necessary  to  examine  whether  the  knowledge  of  God  had 
been  retained  in  its  purity,  or  whether  to  favor  the  sinner  it  had 
been  distorted  and  twisted.  And  tested  by  this,  it  can  not  be  de- 
nied that  God's  care  for  His  elect  does  not  begin  at  an  arbitrary 
moment,  but  is  interwoven  with  their  whole  existence,  including 
their  conception,  and  even  before  their  conception,  with  the  mys- 
teries of  that  redeeming  love  which  declares :  "  I  have  loved  thee 
with  an  everlasting  love."  Hence  it  is  unthinkable  that  God  should 
have  left  a  sinner  to  himself  for  years,  to  arrest  him  at  a  certain 
moment  in  the  midst  of  his  life. 

Nay,  if  God  is  to  remain  (?^</and  His  omnipresent  power  unlim- 
ited, a  sinner's  salvation  must  be  an  eternal  work,  embracing  his 
entire  existence — a  work  whose  roots  are  hidden  in  the  unseen  foun- 
dations of  the  wondrous  mercies  which  extend  far  beyond  his  con- 
ception. It  can  not  be  denied  that  a  man,  converted  at  twenty-five, 
was  during  his  godless  life  the  subject  of  the  divine  labor,  care,  and 
protection;  that  in  his  conception  and  before  his  birth  God's  hand 
held  him  and  brought  him  forth ;  yea,  that  even  in  the  divine  coun- 


WHAT    IS    IT  ? 


285 


sel  the  work  must  be  traced  which  God  has  wrought  for  him  long 
before  his  conversion. 

The  confession  of  election  and  foreordination  is  essentially  the 
recognition  of  a  grace  active  long  before  the  hour  of  conversion. 
The  idea  that  from  eternity  God  had  recorded  a  mere  arbitrary 
name  or  figure,  to  quicken  it  only  after  many  centuries,  is  truly  un- 
godly. Nay.  God's  elect  never  stood  before  His  eternal  vision  as 
mere  names  or  figures;  but  every  soul  elect  is  also  foreordained  to 
stand  before  Him  in  his  complete  development,  the  object  in  Christ 
of  God's  eternal  pleasure. 

Christ's  sacrifice  on  Calvary,  which  satisfies  for  the  elect,  justi- 
fying them  by  His  Resurrection,  was  not  accomplished  independ- 
ently of  the  elect,  but  included  them  all.  The  resurrection  is  a 
work  of  the  divine  Omnipotence,  in  which  God  brings  back  from 
the  dead  not  only  Christ  without  His  own,  but  Christ  with  His  own. 
Hence  every  saint  with  clear  spiritual  vision  confesses  that  his 
heavenly  Father  performs  in  him  an  eternal  work,  not  begun  only 
in  his  conversion,  but  wrought  in  the  eternal  counsel  through  the 
periods  of  old  and  new  covenants;  in  his  person  all  the  days  of  his 
life,  and  which  will  work  in  him  throughout  eternity.  Even  in 
this  general  sense  the  Church  may  not  neglect  to  confess  prepara- 
tory grace. 

However,  the  question  is  narrowed  when,  excluding  what  pre- 
cedes our  birth,  we  consider  only  our  sinful  life  before  conversion, 
or  the  years  intervening  between  the  age  of  discretion  and  the  hour 
when  the  scales  fell  from  our  eyes. 

During  those  years  we  departed  from  God,  instead  of  coming 
more  closely  to  Him.  Sin  broke  out  more  violently  in  one  than  in 
another,  but  there  was  iniquity  in  us  all.  As  often  as  the  plummet 
was  let  down  beside  our  souls,  they  appeared  out  of  the  perpendic- 
ular. And  during  this  sijifid  period,  many  hold  that  preparatory 
grace  is  out  of  the  question.  They  say,  "  Where  sin  is,  there  can  be 
no  grace";  hence  during  those  years  the  Lord  leaves  the  sinner  to 
himself,  to  return  to  him  when  sin's  bitter  fruit  shall  be  ripe  enough 
to  move  him  to  faith  and  repentance.  They  deny  not  God's  gra- 
cious election  and  foreordination,  neither  His  care  for  His  elect  in 
their  birth ;  but  they  do  deny  His  preparatory  grace  during  the  years 
of  alienation,  and  believe  that  His  grace  begins  to  operate  only 
when  it  breaks  forth  in  their  conversion. 

Of  course  there  is  some  truth  in  this;  there  is  such  a  thing  as 


286  PREPARATORY    GRACE 

the  abandoning  of  the  sinner  to  iniquity,  when  God  lets  a  man  walk 
in  his  own  ways,  giving  him  up  unto  vile  passions  to  do  things  that 
are  unseemly.  But  instead  of  interrupting  God's  labor  upon  such 
a  soul,  the  very  words  of  Scripture,  "  to  give  them  uj,,"  "  to  give 
them  over"  (Rom.  i.  24,  28),  show  that  this  drifting  away  upon  the 
current  of  sin  is  not  without  God's  notice.  Men  have  confessed 
that,  if  inward  sin  had  not  revealed  itself,  breaking  forth  in  its 
fury,  they  would  never  have  discovered  the  inward  corruption  nor 
have  cried  to  God  for  mercy.  The  realization  of  their  guilt  and 
the  remembrance  of  their  fearful  past  have  been  to  many  saints 
powerful  incitements  to  labor  with  strong  hands  and  pitying  hearts 
for  the  rescue  of  those  hopelessly  lost  in  the  same  deadly  waters 
from  which  they  had  been  saved.  The  remembrance  of  the  deep 
corruption  from  which  they  are  now  delivered  has  been  to  many 
the  most  potent  safeguard  from  fancied  self-righteousness,  proud 
bearing,  and  the  conceit  of  being  holier  than  others.  Many  depths 
of  reconciliation  and  grace  have  been  discovered  and  sounded  only 
by  hearts  so  deeply  wounded  that,  for  the  covering  of  their  guilt,  a 
mere  superficial  confession  of  the  atoning  blood  could  not  suffice. 
How  deeply  did  David  fall ;  and  who  ever  shouted  from  mercy's 
depths  more  jubilantly  than  he?  Who  impressed  the  Church's  pure 
confession  more  profoundly  than  Augustine,  incomparable  among 
the  Church  fathers,  who  from  the  abyss  of  his  own  guilt  and  in- 
ward brokenness  had  learned  to  gaze  upon  the  firmament  of  God's 
eternal  mercies.  Even  from  this  extreme  view  of  man's  sinful  way 
it  can  not  be  affirmed  that  in  that  way  God's  grace  was  suspended. 
Light  and  shadow  are  here  necessarily  blended. 

And  this  is  not  all.  Even  tho  by  sin  we  have  forfeited  all,  and 
the  sinful  ego,  however  virtuous  outwardly,  has  tinctured  every 
action  of  life  with  sin,  yet  this  is  not  all  of  life.  In  the  midst  of  it 
all,  life  was  shaped  and  developed.  The  sinner  of  five-and-twenty 
differs  from  the  child  of  three,  who  by  his  ugly  temper  plainly 
showed  his  sinful  nature.  During  all  those  years  the  child  has  be- 
come a  man.  That  which  slumbered  in  him  has  gradually  mani- 
fested itself.  Influences  have  wrought  upon  him.  Knowledge  has 
been  mastered  and  increased.  Talents  have  been  awakened  and 
developed.  Memory  and  remembrance  have  accumulated  treasures 
of  experience.  However  sinful  the  form,  the  character  has  be- 
come settled  and  some  of  its  traits  have  adopted  definite  lines.  The 
child  has  become  a  man — a  person,  living,  existing,  and  thinking 


WHAT    IS    IT?  287 

differently  from  other  persons.  And  in  all  this,  so  confesses  the 
Church,  was  the  hand  of  the  Omnipresent  and  Almighty  God.  It 
is  He  who  during  all  these  years  of  resistance  has  guided  and  di- 
rected His  creature  according  to  His  own  purpose. 

Sooner  or  later  the  Sun  of  Grace  will  rise  upon  him,  and,  since 
much  depends  upon  the  condition  in  which  grace  shall  find  him,  it 
is  the  Lord  God  Himself  who  prepares  that  condition.  He  prepares 
it  by  graciously  restraining  his  character  from  adopting  traits  which 
would  prevent  him  later  on  from  running  his  course  in  the  kingdom 
of  God,  and,  on  the  other  hand,  by  graciously  developing  in  him 
such  character  and  such  features  as  will  appear  after  his  conversion 
adapted  to  the  task  which  God  intended  for  him. 

And  so  it  is  evident  that  even  during  the  time  of  alienation 
God  bestows  grace  upon  His  elect.  Afterward  he  will  perceive 
how  evidently  all  things  have  worked  together  for  good,  not  because 
he  intended  it  so,  but  in  spite  of  his  sinful  intentions,  and  only 
because  the  protecting  grace  of  God  was  working  in  and  by  and 
through  it  all.  His  course  might  have  been  altogether  different. 
That  it  is  as  it  is,  and  not  much  worse,  he  owes  not  to  himself,  but 
to  higher  favor.  Hence,  reviewing  his  life's  dark  background,  the 
saint  thinks  at  first  that  it  contains  but  a  night  of  Satanic  darkness ; 
later  on,  being  better  instructed,  he  perceives  through  that  dark- 
ness a  faint  glimmer  of  divine  love. 

In  fact,  in  his  life  there  are  three  distinct  periods  of  thankful- 
ness: 

First,  immediately  after  his  conversion,  when  he  can  think  of 
no  other  reason  of  thankfulness  than  the  newly  found  grace. 

Second,  when  he  learns  to  render  thanks  also  for  the  grace  of  his 
eternal  election,  extending  far  behind  the  first  grace. 

Lastly,  when  the  darkness  between  election  and  conversion  be- 
ing dispelled,  he  thanks  God  for  the  preparatory  grace  which  in  the 
midst  of  that  darkness  watched  over  his  soul. 


XVIII. 
What  It  Is  Not. 

•'  We  are  His  workmanship." — 
Ephes.  u.  lo. 

In  the  preceding  article  we  contended  that  there  is  preparatory 
grace.  In  opposition  to  the  contemporary  deism  of  the  Methodists,* 
the  Reformed  churches  ought  to  confess  this  excellent  truth  in  all 
its  length  and  breadth.  But  it  should  not  be  abused  to  reestablish 
the  sinner's  free  will,  as  the  Pelagians  did,  and  the  Arrainians  after 
them,  and  as  the  Ethicals  do  now,  tho  differently. 

The  Methodist  *  errs  in  saying  that  God  does  not  care  for  the 
sinner  until  He  suddenly  arrests  him  in  his  sinful  way.  Nor  may 
we  tolerate  the  opposite  error,  the  denial  of  regeneration,  the  new 
starting-point  in  the  life  of  the  sinner,  which  would  make  the  whole 
work  of  conversion  but  an  awakening  of  dormant  and  suppressed 
energies.  There  is  no  gradual  transition ;  conversion  is  not  merely 
the  healing  of  disease,  or  an  uprising  of  what  had  been  suppressed ; 
least  of  all,  the  arousing  of  dormant  energies. 

As  regards  his  first  birth,  the  child  of  God  was  dead,  and  can  be 
brought  to  life  only  by  a  second  birth  as  real  as  the  first.  Gener- 
ally the  person  so  favored  is  not  conscious  of  it.  In  the  nattxre  of 
the  case,  man  is  unconscious  of  his  first  birth.  Consciousness  comes 
only  with  the  years.  And  the  same  applies  to  regeneration,  of 
which  he  was  unconscious  until  the  time  of  his  conversion ;  and 
that  may  be  ten  or  twenty  years. 

The  grounds  upon  which  the  Church  confesses  that  a  large  ma- 
jority of  men  are  born  again  be/ore  holy  Baptism  are  many  indeed; 
wherefore,  in  Baptism,  it  addresses  the  infants  of  believers  as  being 

regenerate. 

And  what  do  the  Semi-Pelagians  of  all  times  and  shades,  and 
the  Ethicals  of  the  present  time,  teach  concerning  this?  They  lower 
the  first  act  of  God  in  the  sinners  to  a  sort  of  preparatory  grace. 

*  See  section  5  m  Preface. 


WHAT    IT    IS    NOT  289 

imparted  not  only  to  the  elect,  but  to  all  baptized  persons.  They 
represent  it  as  follows : 

First,  all  men  are  conceived  and  bom  in  sin;  and  if  God  did 
not  take  the  first  step,  all  would  perish. 

Second,  He  imparts  to  the  children  bom  in  the  Christian  Church 
a  sort  of  assisting  grace,  relieving  inability. 

Third,  hence  every  baptized  person  has  the  power  to  choose  or 
reject  the  offered  grace. 

Fourth,  wherefore,  out  of  the  many  who  received  preparatory 
grace,  some  choose  life  and  others  perish. 

And  this  is  the  confession  not  of  Augustine,  but  of  Pelagius ;  not 
of  Calvin,  but  of  Castellio;  not  of  Gomarus,  but  of  Arminius;  not 
of  the  Reformed  churches,  but  of  the  sects  which  they  have  con- 
demned as  heretical. 

This  impious  lie,  which  pervades  this  whole  representation, 
must  be  eradicated  ;  and  the  Methodist  brethren  deserve  our  strong- 
est support  when  with  holy  enthusiasm  they  oppose  this  false  sys- 
tem. If  this  representation  be  true,  then  the  counsel  of  God  has 
lost  its  certainty  and  stedfastness;  then  the  Mediator's  redemp- 
tive work  is  uncertain  in  its  application ;  then  our  passing  from 
death  unto  life  depends  in  the  end  upon  our  own  will ;  and  the  child 
of  God  is  robbed  of  all  his  comfort  in  life  and  death,  since  his  new 
life  may  be  lost. 

It  does  not  avail  the  Ethical  theologians  when  under  many  beau- 
tiful forms  they  confess  their  belief  in  an  eternal  election,  and  that 
grace  can  not  be  lost,  and  in  the  perseverance  of  saints.  As  long 
as  they  do  not  purge  themselves  of  their  principal  error — viz.,  that 
in  Baptism  God  so  relieves  the  inability  of  the  sinner  that  he  can 
choose  life  of  himself — they  do  not  stand  on  the  basis  of  the  Re- 
formed churches,  but  are  directly  opposed  to  it.  Nor  will  they  be 
counted  as  children  of  the  Reformed  household  of  faith  until,  with- 
out any  subterfuge,  they  confess  definitely  that  preparatory  grace 
does  not  operate  at  all,  except  upon  persons  who  will  surely  come 
to  life,  and  who  will  never  be  lost  again.  To  suppose  that  this 
grace  can  work  in  a  man  without  saving  him  to  the  uttermost  is  to 
break  with  the  doctrine  of  Scripture  and  to  turn  the  back  upon  a 
vital  feature  of  the  Reformed  churches.  We  do  not  deny  that  many 
persons  are  lost  in  whom  many  excellent  powers  have  wrought.  The 
apostle  teaches  this  very  clearly  in  Heb.  vi. :  "  They  may  have 
tasted  of  the  heavenly  gift."  But  between  God's  work  upon  them 
19 


2go  PREPARATORY    GRACE 

and  that  in  His  e/ect  is  a  great  gulf.  The  workings  in  these  non- 
elect  have  nothing  in  common  with  saving  grace ;  hence  prepara- 
tory grace,  as  well  as  saving  grace,  is  altogether  out  of  the  ques- 
tion. Surely  there  is  preparatory  grace,  but  only  for  the  elect  who 
will  certainly  come  to  life,  and  who  being  once  quickened  will  re- 
main so.  The  fatal  doctrine  of  three  conditions — viz.,  that  (i)  of 
the  spiritually  dead,  (2)  of  the  spiritually  living,  and  (3)  of  men 
hovering  between  life  and  death — must  be  abandoned.  The  spread 
of  this  doctrine  in  our  churches  will  surely  destroy  their  spiritual 
character,  as  it  has  done  in  the  ancient  Huguenot  churches  of 
France.  Life  and  death  are  absolute  opposites,  and  a  third  state 
between  them  is  unthinkable.  He  that  is  scarcely  alive  belongs  to 
the  living;  and  he  that  has  just  died  belongs  to  the  dead.  One 
apparently  dead  is  living,  and  he  that  is  apparently  living  is  dead. 
The  boundary-line  is  a  hair's  breadth,  and  a  state  between  does  not 
exist.  This  applies  to  the  spiritual  condition.  One  lives,  altho  he 
has  received  no  more  than  the  vital  germ,  and  still  wanders  uncon- 
verted in  the  ways  of  sin.  And  he  is  dead,  tho  tasting  the  heavenly 
gift,  so  long  as  life  is  not  rekindled  in  his  soul.  Every  other  repre- 
sentation is  false. 

Others  advance  the  view  that  preparatory  grace  prepares  not 
for  the  reception  of  life,  but  for  conversion.  And  this  is  just  as 
pernicious.  For  then  the  soul's  salvation  depends  not  upon  re- 
generation, but  upon  conversion ;  and  this  makes  the  salvation  of 
our  deceased  infants  impossible.  Nay,  standing  by  the  graves  of 
our  baptized  young  children,  confident  of  their  salvation  through 
the  one  Name  given  under  heaven,  we  reject  the  teaching  that  sal- 
vation depends  upon  conversion ;  but  confess  that  it  is  effected  by 
the  divine  act  of  creating  in  us  a  new  life,  which  sooner  or  later 
manifests  itself  in  conversion. 

Preparatory  grace  always  precedes  the  new  life  ;  hence  it  ceases 
even  before  holy  Baptism,  in  infants  quickened  before  being  bap- 
tized. Hence  in  a  more  limited  sense,  preparatory  grace  operates 
only  in  persons  quickened  later  on  in  life,  shortly  before  conversion. 
For  the  sinner  once  quickened  has  received  grace,  i.e.,  the  germ  of 
all  grace ;  and  that  which  exists  can  not  be  prepared. 

A  third  error,  on  this  point,  is  the  representation  that  certain 
moods  and  dispositions  must  be  prepared  in  the  sinner  before  God 


WHAT    IT    IS    NOT  291 

can  quicken  him ;  as  tho  quickening  grace  were  conditioned  upon 
preparatory  grace.  The  salvation  of  our  deceased  infants  opposes 
this  also.  There  were  no  moods  or  dispositions  in  them ;  yet  no 
theologian  will  say  that  they  are  lost,  or  that  they  are  saved  by  an- 
other name  than  the  One  in  whom  adults  find  salvation.  No;  the 
sinner  needs  nothing  whatever  to  predispose  him  for  the  implanting 
of  the  new  life ;  and,  tho  he  were  the  most  hardened  sinner,  devoid 
of  every  predisposition,  God  is  able  at  His  own  time  to  quicken 
him.     The  omnipotence  of  divine  grace  is  unlimited. 

The  implanting  of  the  new  life  is  not  a  moral,  but  a  metaphysical 
act  of  God— />.,  He  does  not  effect  it  by  admonishing  the  sinner, 
but  independently  of  his  will  and  consciousness ;  yet  despite  his 
will.  He  plants  something  in  him  whereby  his  nature  obtains  an- 
other quality. 

Even  the  representation,  still  maintained  by  some  of  our  best 
theologians,  that  preparatory  grace  is  like  the  drying  of  wet  wood, 
so  that  the  spark  can  more  readily  ignite  it,  we  can  not  adopt. 
Wet  wood  will  not  take  the  spark.  It  must  be  dried  before  it  ca7i  be 
kindled.  And  this  does  not  apply  to  the  work  of  grace.  The  dis- 
position of  our  souls  is  immaterial.  Whatever  it  may  be,  omnipo- 
tent grace  can  kindle  it.  And,  tho  we  do  not  undervalue  disposi- 
tions, yet  we  do  not  concede  to  them  the  potentiality  of  kindling. 

For  this  reason  the  theologians  of  the  flourishing  period  of  our 
churches  insisted  that  preparatory  grace  should  not  be  treated 
loosely,  but  in  the  following  order:  "The  g^ace  of  God  first  pre- 
cedes, then  prepares,  and  IsiStly  performs  {prcevem'ens,  prceparans,  ope- 
rans)—i.e.,  grace  is  always  first,  never  waits  for  anything  in  us,  but 
begins  its  work  before  there  is  anything  in  us.  Second,  the  time 
before  our  quickening  is  not  wasted,  but  during  it  grace  prepares 
us  for  our  lifework  in  the  kingdom.  Third,  at  the  appointed  time 
grace  alone  quickens  us  unaided ;  hence,  grace  is  the  operans,  the 
real  worker.  Hence  preparatory  grace  must  never  be  under- 
stood as  a  means  to  prepare  for  the  impartation  of  life.  Nothing 
prepares  for  such  quickening.  Life  is  enkindled,  wholly  unpre- 
pared, not  from  anything  in  us,  but  entirely  by  the  working  of  God. 
All  that  preparatory  grace  accomplishes  is  this,  that  God  by  it  so 
disposes  our  life,  arranges  its  course,  and  directs  our  development 
that  being  quickened  by  His  exclusive  act,  we  shall  possess  the  dis- 
position required  for  the  task  assigned  to  us  in  the  kingdom. 


292  PREPARATORY   GRACE 

Our  person  is  like  the  field  wherein  the  sower  is  to  scatter  the 
seed.  Suppose  there  are  two  fields  in  which  the  seed  must  be 
sown;  the  one  has  been  plowed,  fertilized,  harrowed,  and  cleared 
of  stones,  while  the  other  lies  fallow,  uncared  for.  What  is  the 
result?  Does  the  former  produce  wheat  of  itself?  By  no  means ; 
tho  the  furrows  were  never  so  deep  and  the  ground  never  so  rich 
and  smooth,  if  it  receives  no  seed-grain  it  will  never  yield  a  single 
ear.  And  the  other,  not  cultivated,  will  surely  germinate  the  seed 
scattered  therein.  The  origin  of  the  wheat  sown  has  no  connection 
with  the  cultivation  of  the  field,  since  the  seed-grain  is  conveyed 
thither  from  elsewhere.  But  to  the  growth  of  the  wheat,  cultivation 
is  of  greatest  importance.  And  so  it  is  in  the  spiritual  kingdom. 
Whether  great  or  small,  preparatory  grace  contributes  nothing  to 
the  origin  of  life,  which  springs  from  the  "  incorruptible  seed"  sown 
in  the  heart.     But  to  its  developmeiit  it  is  of  greatest  importance. 

This  is  why  the  Reformed  churches  so  strongly  insist  upon  the 
careful  training  of  our  children.  For,  altho  we  confess  that  all  our 
training  can  not  create  the  least  spark  of  heavenly  fire,  yet  we  know 
that  when  God  puts  that  spark  into  their  hearts,  kindling  the  new 
life,  much  will  depend  upon  the  condition  in  which  it  finds  them. 


jFourtb  Cbapter. 
REGENERATION. 


XIX. 
Old  and  New  Terminology. 

"  That  which  is  born  of  the  flesh  is 
flesh."— :/(?>^«  iii.  6. 

Before  we  examine  the  work  of  the  Holy  Spirit  in  this  impor- 
tant matter,  we  must  first  define  the  use  of  words. 

The  word  "  regeneration  "  is  used  in  a  limited  sense,  and  in  a  more 
extended  sense. 

It  is  used  in  the  ti'/nited  sense  when  it  denotes  exclusively  God's 
act  of  quickeni7ig,  which  is  the  first  divine  act  whereby  God  trans- 
lates us  from  death  into  life,  from  the  kingdom  of  darkness  into  the 
kingdom  of  His  dear  Son.  In  this  sense  regeneration  is  the  start- 
ing-point. God  comes  to  one  born  in  iniquity  and  dead  in  trespasses 
and  sins,  and  plants  the  principle  of  a  new  spiritual  life  in  his  soul. 
Hence  he  is  born  again. 

But  this  is  not  the  interpretation  of  the  Confession  of  Faith, 
for  article  24  reads :  "  We  believe  that  this  true  faith,  being 
wrought  in  man  by  the  hearing  of  the  Word  of  God  and  the  opera- 
tion of  the  Holy  Ghost,  doth  regenerate  and  make  him  a  new  man, 
causing  him  to  live  a  new  life,  and  freeing  him  from  the  bondage  of 
sin."  Here  the  word  "  regeneration,"  used  in  its  ivider  sense,  denotes 
the  entire  change  by  grace  effected  in  our  persons,  ending  in  our 
dying  to  sin  in  death  and  our  being  born  for  heaven.  While  for- 
merly this  was  the  usual  sense  of  the  word,  we  are  accustomed  now 
to  the  limited  sense,  which  we  therefore  adopt  in  this  discussion. 

Respecting  the  difference  between  the  two — formerly  the  work 
of  grace  was  generally  represented  as  the  soul  consciously  observed 
it ;  while  now  the  work  itself  is  described  apart  frotn  the  conscious- 
ness. 


294  REGENERATION 

Of  course,  a  child  knows  nothing  of  the  genesis  of  his  own  exist- 
ence, nor  of  the  first  period  of  his  life,  from  his  own  observation.  If 
he  were  to  tell  his  history  from  his  own  recollections,  he  would  be- 
gin with  the  time  that  he  sat  in  his  high  chair,  and  proceed  until 
as  a  man  he  went  out  into  the  world.  But,  being  informed  by  oth- 
ers of  his  antecedents,  he  goes  back  of  his  recollections  and  speaks 
of  his  parents,  family,  time,  and  place  of  birth,  how  he  grew  up, 
etc.     Hence  there  is  quite  a  difference  between  the  two  accounts. 

The  same  difference  we  observe  in  the  subject  before  us.  For- 
merly it  was  customary,  after  the  manner  of  Romish  scholastics,  to 
describe  one's  experience  from  one's  own  recollections.  Being  per- 
sonally ignorant  of  the  implanting  of  the  new  life,  and  remember- 
ing only  the  great  spiritual  disturbance,  which  led  one  to  faith  and 
repentance,  it  was  natural  to  date  the  beginning  of  the  work  of 
grace  not  from  regeneration,  but  from  the  conviction  of  sin  and 
faith,  thence  proceeding  to  sanctification,  and  so  on. 

But  this  subjective  representation,  more  or  less  incomplete,  can 
not  satisfy  us  now.  It  was  to  be  expected  that  the  supporters  of 
"  free  will "  would  abuse  it,  by  inferring  that  the  origin  and  first 
activities  of  the  work  of  salvation  spring  from  man  himself.  A 
sinner,  hearing  the  Word,  is  deeply  impressed;  persuaded  by  its 
threats  and  promises,  he  repents,  arises,  and  accepts  the  Savior. 
Hence  there  is  nothing  more  than  a  mere  moral  persuasion,  obscur- 
ing the  glorious  origin  of  the  new  life.  To  resist  this  repulsive 
deforming  of  the  truth,  Maccovius,  already  in  the  days  of  the  Synod 
of  Dort,  abandoned  this  more  or  less  critical  method  to  make  re- 
generation the  starting-point.  He  followed  this  order :  "  Knowl- 
edge of  sin,  redemption  in  Christ,  regeneration,  and  only  then  faith." 
And  this  was  consistent  with  the  development  of  the  Reformed  doc- 
trine. For  as  soon  as  the  subjective  method  was  abandoned,  it  be- 
came necessary  in  answer  to  the  question,  "  What  has  God  wrought 
in  the  soul?"  to  return  to  ih.Q  first  implanting  of  life.  And  then  it 
became  evident  that  God  did  not  begin  by  leading  the  sinner  to  re- 
pentance, for  repentance  must  be  preceded  by  conviction  of  sin ; 
nor  by  bringing  him  under  the  hearing  of  the  word,  for  this  re- 
quires an  opened  ear.  Hence  the  first  conscious  and  comparatively 
cooperative  act  of  man  is  zX^a^y^  preceded  by  the  original  act  of  God, 
planting  in  him  the  first  principle  of  a  new  life,  under  which  act 
man  is  wholly  passive  and  unconscious. 

This  led  to  the  distinction  of  ih&  first  and  second  grace.     The 


OLD    AND    NEW   TERMINOLOGY  295 

former  denoted  God's  work  in  the  sinner,  creating  a  new  life  with- 
out his  knowledge ;  while  the  latter  denoted  the  work  wrought  in 
regenerate  man  with  his  full  knowledge  and  consent. 

The  first  grace  was  naturally  called  regeneration.  And  yet 
there  was  no  perfect  unanimity  in  this  respect.  Some  Scottish 
theologians  put  it  in  this  way :  "  God  began  the  work  of  grace  with 
the  implanting  of  the  faith-faculty  {fides  potentialis),  followed  by 
the  new  grace  of  the  faith-exercise  {fides  actualis),  and  of  the  faith- 
power  {fides  habitualis).  Yet  it  is  only  an  apparent  difference. 
Whether  I  call  the  first  activity  of  grace,  the  implanting  of  the 
"  faith- faculty  "  or  the  "  new  principle  of  life"  in  both  instances  it 
means  that  the  work  of  grace  does  not  begin  with  faith  or  with  re- 
pentance or  contrition,  but  that  these  are  preceded  by  God's  act  of 
giving  power  to  the  powerless,  hearing  to  the  deaf,  and  life  to  the 
dead. 

For  a  correct  idea  of  the  entire  work  of  grace  in  its  different 
phases  let  us  notice  the  following  successive  stages  or  milestones : 

1.  The  ifnplanting  of  the  new  life-principle,  commonly  called  re- 
generation in  the  limited  sense,  or  the  implanting  of  the  faith-/ar- 
ulty.  This  divine  act  is  wrought  in  man  at  different  ages ;  when, 
no  one  can  tell.  We  know  from  the  instance  of  John  the  Baptist 
that  it  can  be  wrought  even  in  the  mother's  womb.  And  the  salva- 
tion of  deceased  infants  constrains  us,  with  Voetius  and  all  profound 
theologians,  to  believe  that  this  original  act  may  occur  very  early 
in  life. 

2.  The  keeping  of  the  implanted  principle  of  life,  while  the  sinner 
Still  continues  in  sin,  so  far  as  his  consciousness  is  concerned.  Per- 
sons who  received  the  life-principle  early  in  life  arc  no  more  dead, 
but  live.  Dying  before  actual  conversion,  they  are  not  lost,  but 
saved.  In  early  life  they  often  manifest  holy  inclinations,  some- 
times truly  marvelous.  However,  they  have  no  conscious  faith, 
nor  knowledge  of  the  treasure  possessed.  The  new  life  is  present, 
but  dormant;  kept  not  by  the  recipient,  but  by  the  Giver — like 
seed-grain  in  the  ground  in  winter;  like  the  spark  glowing  under 
the  ashes,  but  not  kindling  the  wood;  like  a  subterranean  stream 
coming  at  last  to  the  surface. 

3.  The  call  by  the  Word  and  the  Spirit,  internal  and  external. 
Even  this  is  a  divino  act,  commonly  performed  through  the  service 
of  the  Church.     It  addresses  itself  not  to  the  deaf  but  to  the  hear- 


296  REGENERATION 

ing,  not  to  the  dead  but  to  the  living,  altho  still  slumbering.  It 
proceeds  from  the  Word  and  the  Spirit,  because  not  only  the  faith- 
f acuity,  but  faith  itself — i.e.,  X\iq pmver  and  exercise  of  the  faculty— 
are  gifts  of  grace.  The  faith-faculty  can  not  exercise  faith  of  it- 
self. It  avails  us  no  more  than  the  faculty  of  breathing  when  air 
and  the  power  to  breathe  are  withheld.  Hence  the  preaching  of 
the  Word  and  the  inward  working  of  the  Holy  Spirit  are  divine, 
correspondent  operations.  Under  the  preaching  of  the  Word  the 
Spirit  energizes  the  i^x'Ca-f acuity,  and  thus  the  call  becomes  effec- 
tual, for  the  sleeper  arises. 

4.  This  call  of  God  produces  conviction  of  sin  and  Justification, 
two  acts  of  the  same  exercise  of  faith.  In  this,  God's  work  may  be 
represented  again  either  subjectively  or  objectively.  Subjectively, 
it  seems  to  the  saint  that  conviction  of  sin  and  heart-brokenness 
came  first,  and  that  then  he  obtained  the  sense  of  being  justified  by 
faith.  Objectively,  this  is  not  so.  The  realization  of  his  lost  con- 
dition was  already  a  bold  act  of  faith.  And  by  every  subsequent 
act  of  faith  he  becomes  more  deeply  convinced  of  his  misery  and 
receives  more  abundantly  from  the  fulness  which  is  in  Christ,  his 
Surety. 

Concerning  the  question,  whether  conviction  of  sin  must  not 
precede  faith,  there  need  be  no  difference.  Both  representations 
amount  to  the  same  thing.  When  a  man  can  say  for  the  first  time 
in  his  life  "  I  believe,"  he  is  at  the  same  moment  completely  lost  and 
completely  saved,  being  justified  in  his  Lord. 

5.  This  exercise  of  faith  results  in  conversion;  at  this  stage  in 
the  way  of  grace  the  child  of  God  becomes  clearly  conscious  of  the 
implanted  life.  When  a  man  says  and  feels  "  I  believe,"  and  does 
not  recall  it,  but  God  confirms  it,  faith  is  at  once  followed  by  con- 
version. The  implanting  of  the  new  life  precedes  the  first  act  of 
faith,  but  conversion  follows  it.  Conversion  does  not  become  a  fact 
so  long  as  the  sinner  only  sees  his  lost  condition,  but  when  he  acts 
upon  this  principle;  for  then  the  old  man  begins  to  die  and  the  new 
man  begins  to  rise,  and  these  are  the  two  parts  of  all  real  conver- 
sion. 

In  principle  man  is  converted  but  once,  viz.,  the  moment  of  yield- 
ing himself  to  Immanuel.  After  that  he  converts  himself  daily,  i.e., 
as  often  as  he  discovers  conflict  between  his  will  and  that  of  the 
Holy  Spirit.  And  ven  this  is  not  man's  work,  but  the  work  of 
God  in  him.     "  Turn  Thou  me,  O  Lord,  and  I  shall  be  turned." 


OLD   AND   NEW   TERMINOLOGY  297 

There  is  this  difference,  however,  that  in  regeneration  and  faith's 
first  exercise  he  \fa.s  passive,  while  in  conversion  grace  enabled  him 
to  be  active.  One  is  converted  and  one  converts  himself;  the  one  is 
incomplete  without  the  other. 

6.  Hence  conversion  merges  itself  in  sanctification.  This  is  also 
a  divine  act,  and  not  human ;  not  a  growing  toward  Christ,  but  an 
absorbing  of  His  life  through  the  roots  of  faith.  In  children  of 
twelve  or  thirteen  deceased  soon  after  conversion,  sanctification 
does  not  appear.  Yet  they  partake  of  it  just  as  much  as  adults. 
Sanctification  has  a  twofold  meaning:/-;-^/,  sanctification  vihich  as 
Christ's  finished  work  is  given  and  imputed  to  all  the  elect ;  and 
second,  sanctification  which  from  Christ  is  gradually  wrought  in  the 
converted  and  manifested  according  to  times  and  circumstances. 
These  are  not  two  sanctifications,  but  one;  just  as  we  speak  some- 
times of  the  rain  that  accumulates  in  the  clouds  above  and  then 
comes  down  in  drops  on  the  thirsty  fields  IjcIow. 

7.  Sanctification  is  finished  and  closed  in  the  complete  redemp- 
tion at  the  time  of  death.  In  the  severing  of  body  and  soul  divine 
grace  completes  the  dying  to  sin.  Hence  in  death  a  work  of  grace 
is  performed  which  imparts  to  the  work  of  regeneration  its  fullest 
unfolding.  If  until  then,  considering  ourselves  out  of  Christ,  we 
are  still  lost  in  ourselves  and  lying  in  the  midst  of  death,  the  arti- 
cle of  death  ends  all  this.  Then  faith  is  turned  into  sight,  sin's 
excitement  is  disarmed,  and  we  are  forever  beyond  its  reach. 

^  Lastly,  our  glorification  in  the  last  day,  when  the  inward  bliss 
will  be  manifest  in  outward  glory,  and  by  an  act  of  omnipotent 
grace  the  soul  will  be  reunited  with  its  glorified  body,  and  be 
placed  in  such  heavenly  glory  as  becomes  the  state  of  perfect 
felicity. 

This  shows  how  the  operations  of  grace  are  riveted  together  as 
the  links  of  a  chain.  The  work  of  grace  must  begin  with  quickening 
the  dead.  Once  implanted,  the  still  slumbering  life  must  be  awa- 
kened by  the  call.  Thus  awakened,  man  finds  himself  in  a  new  life. 
i.e.,  he  knows  \i\ms^\i  justified  Being  justified,  he  lets  the  new  life 
result  in  conversion.  Conversion  flows  into  sanctification.  Sanctifi- 
cation receives  its  keystone  through  the  sneering  of  sin  in  death. 
And  in  the  last  ^ors ,  glorification  completes  the  work  of  divine  grace 
in  our  entire  person. 

Hence  it  follows  that  that  which  succeeds  is  contained  in  that 


298  REGENERATION 

which  precedes.  A  regenerate  deceased  infant  died  to  sin  in  death 
just  as  surely  as  the  man  with  hoary  head  and  fourscore  years. 
There  can  be  no  first  without  including  the  second  and  last.  Hence 
the  entire  work  of  grace  might  be  represented  as  one  birth  for 
heaven,  one  continued  regeneration  to  be  completed  in  the  last  day. 

"Wherefore  there  may  be  persons  ignorant  of  these  stages, 
which  are  as  indispensable  as  milestones  to  the  surveyor ;  but  they 
may  never  be  made  to  oppress  the  souls  of  the  simple.  He  who 
breathes  deeply  unconscious  of  his  lungs  is  often  the  healthiest. 

Touching  the  question  whether  the  Scripture  gives  reference  to 
this  arrangement  over  the  old,  we  refer  to  the  word  of  Jesus:  "  Ex- 
cept a  man  be  bom  of  water  and  the  Spirit  he  can  not  see  the  king- 
dom of  God";  from  which  we  infer  that  Jesus  dates  every  operation 
of  grace  from  regeneration.     First  life,  and  then  the  activity  of  life. 


XX. 
Its  Course. 

"  No  man  can  come  unto  Me,  ex- 
cept the  Father  draw  him."— 
John  vi.  44. 

From  the  preceding  it  is  evident  that  preparatory  grace  is  differ- 
ent in  different  persons:  and  that  distinction  must  be  made  between 
the  many  regenerated  in  the  first  days  of  life,  and  the  few  bom 
again  at  a  more  advanced  age. 

Of  course,  we  refer  only  to  the  elect.  In  the  non-elect  saving 
grace  does  not  operate;  hence  preparatory  grace  is  altogether  out 
of  the  question.  The  former  are  born,  with  few  exceptions,  in  the 
Church.  They  do  not  enter  the  covenant  of  grace  later  on  in  life, 
but  they  belong  to  it  from  the  first  moment  of  their  existence' 
They  spring  from  the  seed  of  the  Church,  and  in  turn  contain  in 
themselves  the  seed  of  the  future  Church.  And  for  this  reason 
the  first  germ  of  the  new  life  is  imparted  to  the  seed  of  the  Church 
(which  is,  alas!  always  mixed  with  much  chaff)  oftenest  either  be- 
fore or  soon  after  birth. 

The  Reformed  Church  was  so  firmly  settled  in  this  doctrine  that 
she  dared  establish  it  as  the  prevailing  rule,  believing  that  the  seed 
of  the  Church  (not  the  chaff  of  course)  received  the  germ  of  life 
even  before  Baptism,  wherefore  it  is  actually  sanctified  in  Christ 
already;  and  receives  in  Baptism  the  seal  not  upon  something  that 
IS  yet  to  come,  but  upon  that  which  is  already  present.  Hence  the 
liturgical  question  to  the  parents :  "  Do  you  acknowledge  that,  altho 
your  children  are  conceived  and  born  in  sin,  and  therefore  are  sub- 
ject to  condemnation  itself,  yet  that  they  are  sanctified  in  Christ 
and  therefore  as  members  of  His  Church  ought  to  be  baptized?" 

In  subsequent  periods,  less  stedfast  in  the  faith,  men  have 
shunned  this  doctrine,  not  knowing  what  to  make  of  the  words  "  are 
sanctified."  This  they  interpreted  to  mean  that  as  children  of 
members  of  the  covenant  they  were  counted  ^^  belonging  to  the  cov- 
enant,  and  as  such  were  entitled  to  baptism.     But  the  earnest  and 


300  REGENERATION 

sound  common  sense  of  our  people  has  always  felt  that  this  mere 
"  counting  in  "  did  not  do  justice  to  the  full  and  rich  meaning  of  the 
liturgy. 

And  if  you  should  inquire  into  the  meaning  of  these  words  of  the 
office  of  Baptism,  "  are  sanctified,"  not  of  the  weaker  epigones,  but 
of  the  energetic  generation  of  heroes  who  have  victoriously  fought 
the  Lord's  battles  against  Arminius  and  his  followers,  then  you 
would  discover  that  those  godly  and  learned  theologians,  such  as 
Gysbrecht  Voetius  for  instance,  never  for  a  moment  hesitated  to 
break  with  these  half-way  explanations,  but  spoke  out  plainly,  say- 
ing :  "  They  are  entitled  to  Baptism  not  because  they  are  counted  as 
members  of  the  covenant,  but  because  as  a  rule  they  actually  already 
possess  the  first  grace ;  and  for  this  reason,  and  this  reason  alone,  it 
reads :  '  That  our  children  are  sanctified  in  Christ,  and  therefore  as 
members  of  His  body  ought  to  be  baptized. 

By  this  confession  the  Reformed  Church  proved  to  be  in  accord 
with  God's  Word  and  not  less  with  the  actual  facts.  With  few  ex- 
ceptions, persons  who  afterward  prove  to  belong  to  the  regenerate 
do  not  begin  life  with  riotous  outbreaks  of  sin.  It  is  rather  the  rule 
that  children  of  Christian  parents  manifest  from  early  childhood  a 
desire  and  taste  for  holy  things,  warm  zeal  for  the  name  of  God, 
and  inward  emotions  that  can  not  be  attributed  to  an  evil  nature. 

Moreover,  this  glorious  confession  gave  the  right  direction  to  the 
education  of  children  in  our  Reformed  families,  largely  retained  to 
the  present  time.  Our  people  did  not  see  in  their  children  off- 
shoots of  the  wild  vine,  to  be  grafted  perhaps  later  on,  with  whom 
little  could  be  done  until  converted  after  the  manner  of  Method- 
ism ;  *  but  they  lived  in  the  quiet  expectation  and  holy  confidence 
that  the  child  to  be  trained  was  already  grafted,  and  therefore 
worthy  to  be  nursed  with  tenderest  care.  We  admit  that,  latterly, 
since  the  Reformed  character  of  our  churches  has  been  impaired 
by  the  National  Church  as  a  church  for  the  masses,  this  gold  has 
been  sadly  dimmed;  but  its  original,  vital  thought  was  beautiful 
and  animating.  It  made  God's  work  of  regeneration  precede  man's 
work;  to  Baptism  it  gave  its  rich  development;  and  it  made  the 
work  of  education,  not  dependent  on  chance,  cooperate  with  God. 

*  For  the  sense  in  which  the  author  takes  Methodism,  see  section  5  in  the 
Preface. 


ITS   COURSE  301 

Hence  we  recognize  among  the  rising  generation  in  the  Church 
four  classes : 

1.  All  elect  persons  regenerated  before  Baptism,  in  whom  the  im- 
planted life  remains  hidden  until  they  are  converted  at  a  later  age. 

2.  Elect  persons,  not  only  regenerated  in  infancy,  but  in  whom 
the  implanted  life  was  early  manifested  and  ripened  imperceptibly 
into  conversion. 

3.  Elect  persons  bom  again;  and  converted  in  later  life. 

4.  The  non-elect,  or  the  chaff. 

Examining  each  of  these  four,  with  special  reference  to  prepara- 
tory grace,  we  arrive  at  the  following  conclusions : 

Regarding  the  elect  of  the  first  class,  from  the  very  nature  of 
the  case  preparatory  grace  has  scarcely  room  here,  in  its  limited 
sense.  In  its  direct  form,  it  is  unthinkable  with  reference  to  an  un- 
born or  new-born  child.  In  such  it  is  only  indirect — i.e.,  frequently 
it  pleases  God  to  give  such  child  parents  whose  persons  and  natures 
practise  a  form  of  sin  less  outspoken  in  its  war  upon  grace  than 
other  forms  of  sin.  Not  as  tho  such  parents  had  anything  from 
which  the  child  could  be  grafted,  for  that  which  is  born  of  the  flesh 
is  flesh ;  nothing  clean  from  the  unclean ;  it  is  always  the  wild  vine 
waiting  for  the  grafting  of  the  Lord.  Nay,  the  preparatory  grace 
in  this  case  appears  from  the  fact  that  the  child  receives  from  its 
parents  a  form  of  life  adapted  to  its  heavenly  calling. 

The  same  applies  to  the  elect  of  the  second  class.  Altho  we  con- 
cede that  the  divine  call  works  upon  such  during  their  tender  years, 
yet,  while  it  prepares  for  conversion,  it  does  not  prepare  for  regen- 
eration, which  it  follows.  The  call  is  ineffectual  unless  the  faculty 
of  hearing  be  first  implanted.  Only  he  that  has  an  ear  can  hear 
what  the  Spirit  saith  unto  the  churches  and  to  his  own  soul. 
Hence,  in  this  case,  preparatory  grace  is  scarcely  perceptible. 
Surely  there  are  many  agencies  that  imperceptibly  prepare  for  his 
conversion ;  but  this  is  different  from  a  preparing  for  regeneration, 
and  we  speak  now  only  of  the  latter. 

Properly  speaking,  preparatory  grace  in  its  limited  sense  is  ap- 
plied only  to  the  third  class  of  elect  persons.  It  comprehends  their 
whole  life  with  all  its  turns  and  changes,  relations  and  connections, 
heights  and  depths,  events  and  adversities.  Not  as  tho  all  these 
could  produce  the  slightest  germ  of  life  or  possibility  of  quicken- 
ing.    No ;  the  germ  of  life  can  never  spring  from  preparatory  grace, 


302  REGENERATION 

any  more  than  the  preparation  of  ten  cradles,  of  a  dozen  of  clothes- 
baskets,  and  of  closets  full  of  expensive  infant-garments  can  ever 
juggle  a  single  infant  into  any  of  those  cradles.  The  vital  spark  is 
produced  only  by  an  act  of  the  mighty  God,  independent  of  all 
preparation.  But,  from  its  birth,  God  guards  that  wild  vine  and 
controls  the  grovi^th  of  its  wild  shoots,  so  that  in  the  hour  of  His 
pleasure,  when  He  shall  graft  upon  it  the  true  vine,  it  may  be  all 
that  it  ought  to  be. 

And  this  ends  the  discussion,  for  regarding  the  fourth  class,  by 
and  by  they  will  be  separated  from  the  wheat  and  blown  away  by 
the  fan  which  is  in  His  hand ;  hence  preparatory  grace  is  out  of  the 
question. 

And  from  this  it  is  evident  that  the  proper  work  of  the  Holy 
Spirit  regarding  preparatory  grace  is  scarcely  perceptible. 

Every  feature  of  this  work,  so  far  presented,  points  directly  not 
to  the  operation  of  the  Holy  Spirit,  nor  to  that  of  the  Son,  but  al- 
most exclusively  to  that  of  the  Father.  For  the  circumstances  of 
the  child's  birth — i.e.,  the  hereditary  character  of  his  family  and 
more  especially  of  his  parents,  and  the  future  course  of  his  life  until 
the  moment  of  his  conversion — belong  to  the  realm  of  the  divine 
Providence.  The  appointed  place  of  our  habitation,  our  gene- 
ration and  family,  the  formation  of  our  immediate  environment, 
the  influences  previously  determined  to  affect  us — all  belong  to  the 
leadings  of  God's  providence,  ascribed  by  Scripture  to  the  work  of 
the  Father.  The  Lord  Jesus  said :  "  No  man  can  come  unto  Me, 
except  the  Father  draw  him."  And  altho  this  drawing  of  the  Father 
has  a  higher  aim  and  must  be  spiritually  understood,  yet  it  indi- 
cates generally  that  the  determining  of  those  things,  which  after- 
ward regulates  their  direction  and  course,  is  attributed  particularly 
to  the  First  Person. 

We  notice  a  work  of  the  Holy  Spirit  in  this  matter  only  as  far 
as  He  animates  all  personal  life,  since  He  is  the  Spirit  of  Life;  and 
as  He  cooperates  with  the  Father  in  that  special  providence  which 
refers  to  the  elect.  For,  altho  in  our  mind  we  can  analyze  the  work 
of  g^ace,  yet  we  may  never  forget  that  the  eternal  reality  does  not 
fully  correspond  to  this  part  of  our  analysis. 

Hence,  in  the  elect,  the  work  of  providence  and  that  of  grace 
often  flow  together,  being  one  and  the  same.  Our  Church  has  tried 
to  express  this,  in  her  confession  of  a  general  providence  which  in- 


ITS    COURSE  303 

eludes  all  things  and  all  persons,  and  a  special  providence  which 
works  only  in  the  lives  of  God's  elect.  When  thus  the  operations 
of  Providence  adopt  a  special  character  regarding  the  elect  but  not 
yet  regenerate  persons,  the  Holy  Spirit  cooperates  with  the  Father 
and  the  Son  to  carry  out  the  counsels  of  God's  will  concerning 
them. 

And  this  closes  the  discussion  of  preparatory  grace,  and  we  now 
proceed  to  discuss  regeneration  proper.  We  might  speak  of  the 
grace  that  flows  from  regeneration  and  prepares  the  way  for  con- 
version, but  this  would  ifn^roperly  be  called  preparatory  grace. 
All  that  which  aims  at  the  awakening  of  the  life  still  slumbering 
in  the  regenerate  soul  is  not  preparatory  grace,  but  belongs  to 
the  "  call."  And  altho  we  would  not  absolutely  condemn  the  use  of 
the  word  in  that  sense,  yet  neither  would  we  encourage  it  by  our 
own  example. 

Let  us  recapitulate.  Physical  life  is  the  result  of  the  union  of 
body  and  soul;  the  dissolution  of  this  union  is  physical  death, 
which  will  be  abolished  only  when  body  and  soul  are  reunited. 
The  same  applies  to  things  spiritual.  Spiritual  life  results  from  a 
union  between  the  soul  and  the  life-principle  of  the  Holy  Spirit. 
Hence  sin  which  annihilates  this  union  causes  death.  This  death 
can  not  be  overcome  until  it  please  the  Lord  to  reunite  the  soul 
with  the  Spirit's  life-principle. 

Everything  that  precedes  this  reunion  is  preparatory  grace.  That 
which  effects  it  is  WiQ  first  grace-  —i.e.,  working  grace,  saving  grace, 
but  no  longer  preparatory  grace.  When  the  Holy  Spirit  begins  His 
work  of  effecting  this  union,  preparatory  grace  ceases;  hence  it 
does  not  belong  to  the  proper  work  of  the  Holy  Spirit. 


XXI. 
Regeneration  the  Work  of  God. 

"  The  hearing  ear,  and  the  seeing  eye, 
the  Lord  bath  even  made  both  of 
them." — Prov.  xx.  12. 

"  The  hearing  ear,  and  the  seeing  eye,  the  Lord  hath  even  made 
both  of  them."  This  testimony  of  the  Holy  Spirit  contains  the 
whole  mystery  of  regeiieration. 

An  unregenerate  person  is  deaf  and  blind ;  not  only  as  a  stock 
or  block,  but  worse.  For  neither  stock  nor  block  is  corrupt  or 
ruined,  but  an  unregenerate  person  is  wholly  dead  and  a  prey  to 
the  most  fearful  dissolution. 

This  rigid,  uncompromising,  and  absolute  confession  must  be 
our  starting-point  in  this  discussion,  else  we  shall  fail  to  understand 
the  claims  of  regeneration.  This  is  the  reason  why  every  heresy 
that  has  conceded  in  one  way  or  other  that  man  has  a  share,  most 
generally  a  lion's  share,  in  the  work  of  redemption,  has  always  be- 
gun by  calling  in  question  the  nature  of  sin.  "  Undoubtedly,"  they 
said,  "  sin  is  very  bad — a  terrible  and  abominable  evil ;  but  there  is 
surely  some  remnant  of  good  in  man.  That  noble,  virtuous,  and 
amiable  being,  man,  can  not  be  dead  in  trespasses  and  sin.  That 
may  be  true  of  some  scoundrel  or  knave  behind  the  bars,  or  of 
robbers  and  unscrupulous  murderers;  but  really,  it  can  not  be  ap- 
plied to  our  honorable  ladies  and  gentlemen,  to  our  lovely  girls, 
roguish  boys,  and  attractive  children.  These  are  not  prone  to  hate 
God  and  their  neighbors,  but  disposed,  with  all  their  heart,  to  love 
all  men,  and  render  unto  God  the  reverence  due  unto  Him." 

Therefore  away  with  all  ambiguity  in  this  matter!  This  meth- 
od of  smoothing  over  unpalatable  truths,  now  so  much  in  vogue 
among  the  affable  people,  we  can  not  indorse.  Our  confession  is, 
and  ever  shall  be,  that  by  nature  man  is  dead  in  trespasses  and  sin, 
lying  under  the  curse,  ripe  for  the  just  judgment  of  God,  and  still 
ripening  for  an  eternal  condemnation.  Surely  his  being,  as  man, 
is  unimpaired;  wherefore  we  protest  against  the  presentation  that 


REGENERATION   THE   WORK    OF    GOD       305 

the  sinner  is  in  this  respect  as  a  stock  or  block.  No;  as  man  he  is 
unimpaired,  his  being  is  intact;  but  his  nature  is  corrupt,  and  in 
that  corrupt  nature  he  is  dead. 

We  compare  him  to  the  body  of  a  person  who  has  died  of  an 
ordinary  disease.  Such  a  body  retains  all  the  members  of  the  hu- 
man organism  intact.  There  is  the  eye  with  its  muscles,  and  the 
ear  with  its  organs  of  hearing;  in  the  post-mortem  examination 
heart,  spleen,  liver,  and  kidneys  appear  to  be  perfectly  normal.  A 
dead  body  may  sometimes  appear  so  natural  that  one  is  tempted  to 
say :  "  He  is  not  dead,  but  sleeping."  And  yet,  however  perfect  and 
natural,  its  nature  is  corrupt  with  the  corruption  of  death.  And 
the  same  is  true  of  the  sinner.  His  beirig  remains  intact  and  whole, 
containing  all  that  which  constitutes  a  man ;  but  his  nature  is  cor- 
rupt, yea,  so  corrupt  that  he  is  dead ;  not  only  apparently,  but  actu- 
ally dead ;  dead  in  all  the  variations  which  can  be  played  upon  the 
term  "dead." 

Hence  without  regeneration  the  sinner  is  utterly  unprofitable. 
What  is  the  use  of  an  ear  except  it  hear,  or  of  an  eye  except  it  see? 
Therefore  the  Holy  Ghost  testifies :  "  The  hearing  ear  and  the  see- 
ing eye,  the  Lord  has  made  even  both  of  them."  And  since  in  the 
world  of  spiritual  things  deaf  ears  and  blind  eyes  do  not  avail  any- 
thing, the  Church  of  Christ  confesses  that  every  operation  of  sa- 
ving grace  must  be  preceded  by  a  quickening  of  the  sinner,  by  an 
opening  of  blind  eyes,  an  unstopping  of  deaf  ears — in  short,  by  the 
implanting  of  the  faculty  of  faith. 

And  as  the  man  that  sat  in  darkness  can  see  as  soon  as  his  eyes 
are  opened,  so  we,  without  moving  a  hair's  breadth,  are  translated 
from  the  kingdom  of  darkness  into  the  kingdom  of  light.  "  Trans- 
lated" does  not  denote  here  an  actual  going,  nor  does  "  to  be  trans- 
lated "  denote  an  actual  change  of  place,  but  simply  life  entering 
into  the  dead,  so  that  he  that  was  blind  can  now  see. 

This  wonderful  act  of  regeneration  may  be  examined  in  two 
classes  of  persons:  in  the  infant  and  in  the  adult. 

It  is  the  safest  way  to  examine  it  in  the  infant:  not  because  this 
work  of  grace  is  different  in  an  infant  from  what  it  is  in  an  adult, 
for  it  is  the  same  in  all  persons  thus  favored ;  but  to  the  conscious 
observation  of  an  adult  the  workings  of  regeneration  are  so  mingled 
with  those  of  conversion  that  it  is  difficult  to  distinguish  the  two. 

But  this  difiiculty  does  not  exist  in  the  case  of  an  unconscious 
20 


3o6  REGENERATION 

child,  as,  e.g.,  in  John  the  son  of  Zacharias  and  Elizabeth.  Such  in- 
fant has  no  consciousness  to  create  confusion.  The  matter  appears  in 
a  pure  and  unmixed  form.  And  thus  we  are  enabled  to  distinguish 
between  regeneration  and  conversion  in  an  adult.  It  is  evident 
that  in  the  case  of  an  infant  which,  like  John,  is  still  unborn,  there 
can  be  nothing  but  mere  passivity — i.e.,  the  child  underwent  some- 
thing, but  himself  did  7iothing  j  something  was  done  to  him,  and  in 
him,  but  not  by  him ;  and  every  idea  of  cooperation  is  absolutely 
excluded. 

Hence,  in  regeneration,  man  is  neither  worker  nor  coworker  j  he 
is  merely  wrought  upon;  and  the  only  Worker  in  this  matter  is 
God.  And,  for  this  very  reason,  because  God  is  the  sole  Worker  in 
regeneration,  it  must  be  thoroughly  understood  that  His  work  does 
not  begin  only  with  regeneration. 

No;  while  the  sinner  is  still  dead  in  trespasses  and  sins,  before 
the  work  of  God  has  begun  in  him,  he  is  already  chosen  and  or- 
dained, justified  and  sanctified,  adopted  as  God's  child  and  glori- 
fied. This  is  what  filled  St.  Paul  with  such  ecstasy  of  joy  when  he 
said:  "  For  whom  He  did  foreknow,  He  also  did  predestinate ;  and 
whom  He  did  predestinate,  them  He  also  called;  and  whom  He 
called,  them  He  also  justified;  and  whom  He  justified,  them  He  also 
glorified  "  (Rom.  viii.  29,  30),  And  this  is  not  the  recital  of  what 
took  place  in  the  regenerate,  but  the  glad  summing  up  of  the 
things  which  God  accomplished  for  us  before  we  existed.  Hence 
our  election,  foreordination,  justification,  and  glorification  precede 
the  new  birth.  It  is  truo  that,  in  the  hour  of  love  when  regenera- 
tion was  to  be  effected  in  us,  the  things  accomplished  outside  of  our 
consciousness  were  to  be  revealed  to  the  consciousness  of  faith ; 
but  so  far  as  God  was  concerned  all  things  were  ready  and  pre- 
pared. The  dead  sinner  whom  God  regenerates  is  to  the  divine 
consciousness  a  beloved,  elect,  justified,  and  adopted  child  already. 
God  quickens  only  His  dear  children. 

Of  course,  God  justifies  the  ungodly  and  not  the  righteous;  He 
Q.aS\^  sinners  \.o  repentance  and  not  just  persons;  but  it  should  be 
remembered  that  this  is  spoken  from  the  point  of  view  of  our  own 
consciousness  of  sin.  The  still  unregenerate  does  not  feel  himself 
God's  child,  nor  that  he  is  justified;  does  not  believe  his  own  elec- 
tion, yea,  often  gainsays  it;  yet  he  can  not  alter  the  things  divinely 
wrought  in  his  behalf,  viz.,  that  before  the  supreme  bar  of  justice 
God  declared  him  just  and  free,  long  before  he  was  so  declared 


REGENERATION   THE   WORK    OF   GOD       307 

before  the  bar  of  his  own  conscience.  Long  before  he  believed,  he 
was  justified  before  God's  tribunal,  by  and  by  to  be  justified  by 
faith  before  his  own  consciousness. 

But,  however  wonderful  and  unfathomable  the  mystery  of  elec- 
tion may  be — and  none  of  us  shall  ever  be  able  to  answer  the  ques- 
tion why  one  was  chosen  to  be  a  vessel  of  honor,  and  another  was 
left  as  a  vessel  of  wrath— in  the  matter  of  regeneration  we  do  not 
face  that  mystery  at  all.  That  God  regenerates  one  and  not  anoth- 
er is  according  to  a  fixed  and  unalterable  rule.  He  comes  with 
regeneration  to  all  the  elect;  and  the  non-elect  He  passes  by. 
Hence  this  act  of  God  is  irresistible.  No  man  has  the  power  to  say, 
"  I  will  not  be  born  again,"  or  to  prevent  God's  work  or  to  put  obsta- 
cles in  His  way,  or  to  make  it  so  difficult  that  it  can  not  be  per- 
formed. 

God  effects  this  gracious  work  in  His  own  way,  i.e..  He  so  roy- 
ally perseveres  that  all  creatures  together  could  not  rob  Him  of  one 
of  His  elect.  If  all  men  and  devils  should  conspire  to  pluck  a  bru- 
tal man,  belonging  to  the  elect,  from  His  saving  power,  all  their 
efforts  would  be  mere  vanity.  As  we  brush  away  a  spider's  web, 
so  would  God  laugh  at  all  their  commotion.  The  powerful  steam 
borer  pierces  the  iron  plate  not  more  noiselessly  and  with  less  effort 
than  silently  and  majestically  God  penetrates  the  heart  of  whomso- 
ever He  will,  and  changes  the  nature  of  His  chosen.  Isaiah's  word 
concerning  the  starry  heavens — "  Lift  up  your  eyes  on  high,  and  be- 
hold who  hath  created  these  things,  that  bringeth  out  their  hosts  by 
number;  He  calleth  them  all  by  name,  by  the  greatness  of  His 
might,  for  that  He  is  strong  in  power;  not  one  faileth" — may  be  ap- 
plied to  the  firmament  in  which  God's  elect  shine  as  stars :  "  Because 
of  the  greatness  of  His  might,  and  that  He  is  strong  in  power,  not 
one  faileth."  All  that  are  ordained  to  eternal  life  are  quickened  at 
the  divinely  appointed  hour.- 

And  this  implies  that  the  work  of  regeneration  is  not  a  moral 
work;  that  is,  it  is  not  accomplished  by  means  of  advice  or  exhor- 
tation. Even  taken  in  its  wider  sense,  including  conversion,  as, 
e.g.,  the  canons  of  Dort  use  it  now  and  then,  regeneration  is  not  a 
moral  working  in  the  soul. 

It  is  not  simply  a  case  of  misunderstanding,  the  sinner's  will 
being  still  uncorrupt,  so  that  it  requires  only  instruction  and  ad- 
vice to  induce  it  to  choose  rightly.     No ;   such  advice  and  admoni- 


3o8  REGENERATION 

tion  are  wholly  out  of  the  question  regarding  the  unborn  son  of 
Zacharias;  and  the  thousands  of  infants  of  believing  parents,  of 
whom  at  Dort  it  was  correctly  confessed  that  they  may  be  sup- 
posed to  have  died  in  the  Lord,  i.e.,  being  born  again;  and  regard- 
ing those  regenerated  before  Baptism  but  converted  later  in  life. 

For  this  reason  it  is  so  necessary  to  examine  regeneration  (in  its 
limited  sense)  in  an  infant,  and  not  in  an  adult,  in  whom  it  neces- 
sarily includes  conversion. 

The  following  reasoning  can  not  be  disputed : 

1.  All  men,  infants  included,  are  born  dead  in  trespasses  and 
sins. 

2.  Of  these  infants  many  die  before  they  come  to  self-conscious- 
ness. 

3.  Of  these  gathered  flowers  the  Church  confesses  that  many 
are  saved. 

4.  Being  dead  in  sin,  they  can  not  be  saved  without  being  born 
again. 

5.  Hence  regeneration  does  actually  take  place  in  persons  that 
are  not  self-conscious. 

These  statements  being  indisputable,  it  is  evident,  therefore, 
that  the  nature  and  character  of  regeneration  can  be  determined 
most  correctly  by  examining  it  in  these  still  unconscious  persons. 

Such  an  unborn  infant  is  totally  ignorant  of  human  language ;  it 
has  no  ideas,  has  never  heard  the  Gospel  preached,  can  not  receive 
instruction,  warning,  or  exhortation.  Hence  moral  influence  is 
out  of  the  question ;  and  this  convinces  us  that  regeneration  is  not 
a  moral,  but  a  metaphysical  act  of  God,  just  as  much  as  the  crea- 
tion of  the  soul  of  an  unborn  child,  which  is  effected  independently 
of  the  mother.  God  regenerates  a  man  wholly  without  his  fore- 
knowledge. 

What  it  is  that  constitutes  the  act  of  regeneration  can  not  be  told. 
Jesus  Himself  tells  us  so,  for  He  says:  "The  wind  bloweth  where 
it  listeth,  and  thou  hearest  the  sound  thereof,  but  canst  not  tell 
whence  it  cometh  and  whither  it  goeth ;  so  is  every  one  that  is  bom 
of  the  Spirit."  And,  therefore,  it  is  befitting  to  investigate  this 
mystery  with  the  utmost  discretion.  Even  in  the  natural  kingdom 
the  mystery  of  life  and  its  origin  is  almost  entirely  beyond  our 
knowledge.  The  most  learned  physician  is  entirely  ignorant  con- 
cerning the  manner  in  which  a  human  life  comes  into  existence. 


REGENERATION   THE    WORK    OF    GOD       309 

Once  existing,  he  can  explain  its  development,  but  of  the  inception 
that  precedes  all  else  he  knows  absolutely  nothing.  In  this  respect 
he  is  just  as  ignorant  as  the  most  innocent  peasant  boy.  The  mys- 
tery can  not  be  penetrated,  simply  because  it  lies  beyond  our  obser- 
vation ;  it  is  perceptible  only  that  life  exists. 

And  this  applies  in  stronger  sense  to  the  mystery  of  our  second 
birth.  Post-mortem  examination  can  detect  the  embryo  and  its 
locality,  but  spiritually  even  this  is  impossible.  Subsequent  mani- 
festations are  instructive  to  a  certain  extent,  but  even  then  much  is 
uncertain  and  unsettled.  By  what  infallible  standard  can  it  be  de- 
termined how  much  of  the  old  nature  enters  into  the  expressions 
of  the  new  life?  Is  there  no  hypocrisy?  Are  there  no  conditions 
unexplained?  Are  there  no  obstacles  to  spiritual  development? 
Hence  experience  in  this  respect  can  not  avail;  tho  pure  and  sim- 
ple, it  can  reveal  only  the  development  of  that  which  is,  and  not 
the  origin  of  life  unborn. 

The  only  source  of  truth  on  this  subject  is  the  "Word  of  God; 
and  in  that  Word  the  mystery  remains  not  only  unrevealed,  but 
veiled.  And  for  good  reasons.  If  we  were  to  effect  regeneration, 
if  we  could  add  to  or  take  from  it,  if  we  could  advance  or  hinder  it, 
then  Scripture  would  surely  have  sufficiently  instructed  us  concern- 
ing it.  But  since  God  has  reserved  this  work  altogether  to  Him- 
self, man  need  not  solve  this  mystery  any  more  than  that  of  his  first 
creation,  or  that  of  the  creation  of  his  soul. 


XXII. 
The  Work  of  Regeneration. 

"Therefore  if  any  man  be  in  Christ,  he 
is  a  new  creature  ;  old  things  are 
passed  away  ;  behold  all  things  are 
become  new." — 2  Cor.  v.  17. 

In  our  former  article  we  contended  that  regeneration  is  a  real 
act  of  God  in  which  man  is  absolutely  passive  and  unable,  accord- 
ing to  the  ancient  confession  of  the  Church.  Let  us  now  reverently 
examine  this  matter  more  closely ;  not  to  penetrate  into  things  too 
high  for  us,  but  to  cut  off  error  and  to  clear  the  consciousness. 

Regeneration  is  not  sacramentally  effected  by  holy  Baptism, 
relieving  the  sinner's  inability,  offering  him  another  opportunity  to 
choose  for  or  against  God,  as  the  Ethicals  maintain. 

Nor  is  it  a  mere  rectifying  of  the  understanding;  nor  a  simple 
change  of  disposition  and  inclination,  making  the  unwilling  willing 
to  conform  to  the  holy  will  of  God. 

Neither  is  it  a  change  of  ego ;  nor,  as  many  maintain,  a  leaving 
the  ego  undisturbed,  the  personality  unchanged,  simply  putting 
the  evil  ego  in  the  light  and  reflection  of  the  righteousness  of 
Christ. 

The  last  two  errors  must  be  refuted  and  rejected  as  positively 
as  the  first  two. 

In  regeneration  a  man  does  not  receive  another  ego;  i.e.,  our 
being  as  man  is  not  changed  nor  modified,  but  before  and  after  re- 
generation it  is  the  same  ego,  the  same  person,  the  same  human 
being.  Altho  sin  has  terribly  corrupted  man,  his  being  remained 
intact.  Nothing  is  lacking.  All  its  constituent  parts,  that  distin- 
guish it  from  all  other  beings,  are  present  in  the  sinner.  Not  his 
being,  but  his  nature  became  totally  corrupt. 

Nature  and  being  are  not  the  same.  Applied  to  a  steam-engine, 
being  is  the  engine  itself,  with  its  cylinders,  pipes,  wheels,  and 
screws;  but  its  nature  is  the  action  manifest  as  soon  as  steam  enters 


THE    WORK    OF   REGENERATION  311 

the  cylinder.  Applied  to  man,  being  is  that  which  makes  him 
man,  and  nature  that  which  manifests  the  character  of  his  being 
and  working. 

If  sin  had  ruined  man's  being,  he  would  be  no  more  man,  and 
regeneration  would  be  impossible.  But  since  his  being,  his  ego, 
his  person  remained  intact  and  the  deep  corruption  affected  only 
his  nature,  regeneration,  i.e.,  restoration  of  his  nature,  is  possible; 
and  this  restoration  is  effected  by  the  new  birth.  Let  this  be 
firmly  maintained.  In  regeneration  we  do  not  receive  a  new  being, 
ego,  or  person,  but  our  fiature  is  reborn. 

The  best  and  most  satisfactory  illustration  of  the  manner  of  re- 
generation is  furnished  by  the  curious  art  of  grafting.  The  suc- 
cessful grafting  of  a  budding  shoot  of  the  cultivated  grape  upon 
the  wild  vine  results  in  a  good  tree  growing  upon  the  wild  trunk. 
This  applies  to  all  fruit-trees  and  flowering  plants.  The  cultivated 
can  be  grafted  upon  the  wild.  Left  to  itself,  the  wild  will  never 
yield  anything  good.  The  wild  pear  and  the  wild  rose  remain 
stunted  and  chary  of  fruit  and  blossom.  But  let  the  gardener  graft 
a  finely  flavored  pear  upon  the  wild  pear,  or  a  beautiful  double  tea- 
rose  upon  the  wild  rose,  and  the  former  will  yield  luscious  fruit  and 
the  latter  magnificent  flowers. 

This  miracle  of  grafting  has  always  been  a  wonder  to  thinking 
men.  And  it  is  a  wonder.  The  trunk  to  be  grafted  is  absolutely 
wild ;  with  its  wild  roots  it  sucks  the  saps  and  forces  them  into  its 
wild  cells.  But  that  little  graft  has  the  wonderful  power  of  con- 
verting the  sap  and  vital  forces  into  something  good,  causing  that 
wild  trunk  to  bear  noble  fruit  and  rich  flowers.  It  is  true  the  wild 
trunk  vigorously  resists  the  reformation  of  its  nature  by  its  wild 
shoots  below  the  graft,  and  if  successful  its  wild  nature  will  forci- 
bly assert  itself  and  prevent  the  sap  from  passing  through  the  bud. 
But  by  keeping  down  those  wild  shoots  the  sap  can  be  forced  to  the 
bud  with  excellent  results.  Forcing  down  the  wild  trunk,  the  graft 
will  gradually  reach  almost  to  the  roots,  and  we  nearly  forget  that 
the  tree  was  ever  wild. 

This  clearly  represents  regeneration  so  far  as  this  divine  mys- 
tery can  be  represented  objectively.  For  in  regeneration  some- 
thing is  planted  in  man  which  by  nature  he  lacks.  The  fall  did  not 
merely  remove  him  from  the  sphere  of  divine  righteousness,  into 
which  regeneration  brings  him  back,  but  regeneration  effects  a  rad- 
ical modification  in  man  as  man,  creating  a  difference  between  him 


312  REGENERATION 

and  the  unregenerate  so  great  that  finally  it  leads  to  direct  oppo- 
sites. 

To  say  that  between  the  regenerate  and  the  unregenerate  there 
is  no  difference  is  equivalent  to  a  denial  of  the  work  of  the  Holy 
Spirit.  Generally,  however,  no  difference  is  noticed  at  first,  no 
more  than  in  the  grafted  tree.  Twins  lie  in  the  same  cradle,  one 
regenerated,  the  other  not,  but  we  can  not  see  the  slightest  differ- 
ence between  the  two.  The  former  may  even  have  a  worse  temper 
than  the  latter.  They  are  exactly  alike.  Both  spring  from  the 
same  wild  trunk.  Dissecting  knife  nor  microscope  could  detect  the 
least  difference;  for  that  which  God  has  wrought  in  the  favored 
child  is  wholly  spiritual  and  invisible,  discernible  to  God  alone. 

This  fact  must  be  confessed  definitely  and  emphatically,  in  op- 
position to  those  who  say  that  the  seed  of  regeneration  is  material. 
This  error  occupies  the  same  ground  as  the  Manichean  heresy  in 
the  matter  of  sin.  The  latter  makes  sin  a  microbe,  and  this  makes 
the  seed  of  regeneration  a  sort  of  perceptible  germ  of  life  and  holi- 
ness. And  this  falsifies  the  truth  against  which,  among  others.  Dr. 
Bohl  has  earnestly  protested. 

The  seed  of  regeneration  is  intangible,  invisible,  purely  spirit- 
ual. It  does  not  create  two  men  in  one  being,  but  before  and  after 
regeneration  there  is  but  one  being,  one  ego,  one  personality. 
Not  an  old  and  a  new  man,  but  one  man — viz.,  the  old  man  before 
regeneration,  and  the  new  man  after  it — who  is  created  after  God  in 
perfect  righteousness  and  holiness.  For  that  which  is  bom  of  God 
cannot  sin.  His  seed  remaineth  in  him.  "Old  things  are  passed 
away,  behold,  all  tilings  are  become  new." 

Yet  the  nature  of  the  ego  or  personality  is  truly  changed,  and 
in  such  a  way  that,  putting  on  the  new  nature  in  principle,  he 
still  continues  to  work  through  the  old  nature.  The  grafted  tree  is 
not  two  trees,  but  one.  Before  the  grafting  it  was  a  wild  rose, 
after  it  a  cultivated  one.  Still  the  new  nature  must  draw  its  saps 
through  the  old  nature ;  apart  from  the  graft,  tne  trunk  remains 
wild. 

Hence  before  as  well  as  after  regeneration  we  lie  in  the  midst 
of  death,  as  soon  as  we  consider  ourselves  outside  of  the  divine 
seed.  Wherefore,  trying  to  avoid  one  false  position,  we  must  be 
careful  not  to  run  into  another ;  trying  to  escape  the  Siamese  twin- 
ship  of  the  old  and  the  new  man,  and  maintaining  the  unity  of  the 
ego  before  and  after  regeneration,  we  should  not  begin  to  teach  that 


THE    WORK   OF    REGENERATION  313 

regeneration  leaves  our  person  unchanged,  that  it  does  not  affect  the 
sinner  himself,  but  merely  translates  him  into  the  sphere  of  an  extra- 
neous righteousness.  No ;  the  Scripture  speaks  of  a  new  creature, 
another  birth,  a  being  changed  and  renewed.  And  this  can  not  be 
reconciled  with  the  notion  that  the  sinner  should  remain  unchanged. 

Regarding  the  question,  what  it  is  in  the  bud  that  has  the  po- 
tency to  regenerate  the  wild  trunk,  the  best-informed  botanist  can 
not  discover  the  fiber  or  liquid  that  might  have  this  power.  He 
only  knows  that  every  bud  has  its  own  nature,  and  possesses  the 
potency  to  produce  another  branch  or  tree  of  the  same  nature  by 
its  own  formative  power. 

And  this  applies  to  the  work  of  regeneration.  In  the  center  of 
our  being,  ego,  personality  rules  our  nature,  disposition,  form  of 
being,  and  existence,  imparting  its  impress,  form,  character,  and 
spiritual  quality  to  what  we  are  and  work  and  speak.  That  all- 
controlling  center  is  by  nature  sinful  and  wicked.  Under  its  fair- 
est forms  it  is  but  unrighteous.  Hence,  willingly  or  unwillingly, 
we  press  upon  our  being,  working,  and  speaking  the  stamp  of  un- 
righteousness. According  to  age  and  development  this  nature  of 
the  ego  chisels  out  of  the  marble  of  our  being  an  evil  and  sinful 
man,  corresponding  to  the  image  contained  in  our  nature  from 
which  it  proceeds.  In  regeneration  God  performs  in  this  controlling 
center  of  our  being  a  wonderful  act,  converting  this  nature,  this 
formative  force  into  something  entirely  different.  Consequently 
our  being,  working,  and  speaking  are  henceforth  controlled  by  an- 
other commandment,  law  of  life,  and  government;  and  this  new 
formative  force  chisels  another  man  in  us,  new  and  holy,  a  child  of 
God,  created  in  righteousness. 

But  this  change  is  not  completed  at  once.  The  tree  grafted  in 
March  may  remain  inactive  during  that  entire  month,  because  there 
is  as  yet  no  working  in  its  nature.  But  this  is  sure :  as  soon  as 
there  is  any  action  it  will  be  according  to  the  new,  ingrafted 
nature. 

And  so  it  is  here.  The  new,  ingrafted  life  may  lie  dormant  for 
a  season,  like  a  grain  of  wheat  in  the  earth ;  but  when  it  begins  to 
work  it  will  be  according  to  the  nature  of  the  new  life.  Hence 
regeneration  implants  the  life-germ  of  the  new  man.  -"vhom  it  con- 
tains in  all  his  completeness,  and  from  which  W  will  proceed  as 
surely  as  the  wheat  contained  in  the  seed  proceeds  from  it. 


314  REGENERATION 

In  order  to  assist  us  in  our  representation  of  this  mystery,  the 
greatest  theologian  of  the  Reformed  churches  has  presented  the 
divine  plan  in  regeneration  in  the  following  stages: 

(i)  In  His  own  mind  God  conceives  the  new  man;  whom  (2)  He 
modifies  according  to  a  particular  person,  thus  creating  the  new 
man ;  (3)  He  brings  the  germ  of  this  new  man  into  the  center  of 
our  being;  (4)  in  which  center  He  effects  the  union  between  our 
ego  and  this  germinating  life;  (5)  in  that  vital  germ  God  supports 
the  formative  power,  which  at  His  appointed  time  He  will  cause  to 
come  forth,  by  which  our  ego  will  manifest  itself  as  a  new  man. 


XXIII. 
Regeneration  and  Faith. 

"  Being  born  again,  not  of  corruptible 
seed,  but  of  incorruptible,  by  the 
Word  of  God,  which  liveth  and  abi- 
deth  forever." — i  Peter  i.  23. 

There  is  a  possible  objection  to  what  has  been  said  above  con- 
cerning regeneration.  It  is  evident  that  God's  Word,  and  therefore 
our  symbols  of  faith,  offers  a  modified  representation  of  these 
things  which,  superficially  considered,  seems  to  condemn  our  repre- 
sentation. This  representation,  which  does  not  consider  children, 
but  adults,  may  thus  be  stated :  Among  a  circle  of  unconverted  per- 
sons God  causes  the  Word  to  be  preached  by  His  ambassadors  of 
the  cross.  By  this  preaching  the  call  reaches  them.  If  there  are 
elect  persons  among  them,  for  whom  it  is  now  the  time  of  loi^e,  God 
accompanies  the  outward  ca.\\  with  the  inward.  Consequently  they 
turn  from  their  ways  of  sin  to  the  way  of  life.  And  so  they  are 
begotten  of  God.  . 

Thus  St.  Peter  presents  the  matter,  saying:  "  Being  born  again, 
not  of  corruptible  seed,  but  of  incorruptible,  by  the  Word  of  God, 
which  liveth  and  abideth  forever."  And  also  St.  Paul  when  he  de- 
clares, "  That  faith  is  by  the  hearing,  and  the  hearing  by  the  Word 
of  God"  (Rom.  x.  17).  It  fully  harmonizes  with  what  St.  Paul 
writes  concerning  holy  Baptism,  which  he  calls  the  washing  of 
"  regeneration,"  for  in  those  days  Jew  and  Gentile  were  baptized  in 
the  name  of  the  Lord  Jesus,  immediately  after  their  conversion,  by 
the  preaching  of  the  apostles. 

For  this  reason  our  fathers  confessed  in  their  Confession  (article 
24) :  "  We  believe  that  this  true  faith,  being  wrought  in  man  by  the 
hearing  of  the  word  of  God,  and  the  operation  of  the  Holy  Ghost, 
doth  regenerate  and  make  him  a  new  man."  And  likewise  teaches 
the  Heidelberg  Catechism  (see  question  65) :  "  Such  faith  proceed- 


3i6  REGENERATION 

eth  from  the  Holy  Ghost,  who  works  faith  in  our  hearts  by  the 
preaching  of  the  Gospel,  and  confirms  it  by  the  use  of  the  sacra- 
ments." And  also  the  canons  of  Dort,  Third  and  Fourth  Heads  of 
doctrine,  section  17:  "As  the  almighty  operation  of  God,  whereby 
He  prolongs  and  supports  this  our  natural  life,  does  not  exclude,  but 
requires  the  use  of  means  by  which  God  of  His  infinite  mercy  and 
goodness  hath  chosen  to  exert  His  influence ;  so  also  the  before- 
mentioned  supernatural  operation  of  God,  by  which  we  are  regen- 
erated, in  no  wise  excludes  or  subverts  the  use  of  the  Gospel,  which 
the  most  wise  God  hath  ordained  to  be  the  seed  of  regeneration 
and  food  of  the  soul.  Wherefore,  as  the  apostles  and  the  teachers 
who  succeeded  them  piously  instructed  the  people  concerning  this 
grace  of  God,  to  His  glory  and  the  abasement  of  all  pride,  and  in 
the  mean  time,  however,  neglected  not  to  keep  them  by  the  sacred 
precepts  of  the  Gospel  in  the  exercise  of  the  Word,  the  sacraments, 
and  discipline ;  so  even  to  this  day,  be  it  far  from  either  instructors 
or  instructed  to  presume  to  tempt  God  in  the  Church,  by  separating 
what  He  of  His  good  pleasure  hath  most  intimately  joined  together. 
For  grace  is  conferred  by  means  of  admonitions;  and  the  more 
readily  we  perform  our  duty,  the  more  eminent  usually  is  this  bless- 
ing of  God  working  in  us,  and  the  more  directly  is  His  work  ad- 
vanced." 

And  now,  in  order  to  eradicate  every  suspicion  that  we  contend 
against  this  representation,  we  declare  openly  and  definitely  that 
we  give  it  our  most  hearty  assent. 

We  only  beg  it  be  considered  that  in  this  presentation  both 
Scripture  and  the  symbols  of  faith  always  point  to  the  mysterious 
background,  to  a  wonderful  work  of  God  hiding  back  of  it,  to  an  in- 
scrutable mystery  without  which  all  this  comes  to  naught. 

The  canons  of  Dort  describe  this  mysterious,  inscrutable,  and 
wonderful  background  most  elaborately  and  most  beautifully  in  arti- 
cle 12,  Third  and  Fourth  Heads  of  Doctrine :  "  And  this  is  the  regen- 
eration so  highly  celebrated  in  Scripture  and  denominated  a  new 
creation;  a  resurrection  from  the  dead,  a  making  alive,  which  God 
works  in  us  without  our  aid.  But  this  is  in  no  wise  effected  merely 
by  the  external  preaching  of  the  Gospel,  by  moral  suasion,  or  such 
a  mode  of  operation  that,  after  God  has  performed  His  part,  it  still 
remains  in  the  power  of  man  to  be  regenerated  or  not,  to  be  con- 
verted or  to  continue  unconverted;  but  it  is  evidently  a  supernat- 
ural work,  most  powerful  and  at  the  same  time  most  delightful, 


REGENERATION    AND    FAITH  317 

astonishing,  mysterious,  and  ineffable ;  not  inferior  in  efficacy  to 
creation  or  the  resurrection  from  the  dead,  as  the  Scripture  in- 
spired by  the  Author  of  this  work  declares;  so  that  all  in  whose 
hearts  God  works  in  this  marvelous  manner  are  certainly,  infalli- 
bly, and  effectually  regenerated,  and  do  actually  believe.  Where- 
upon the  will  thus  renewed  is  not  only  actuated  and  influenced  by 
God,  but  in  consequence  ot  this  influence  becomes  itself  active. 
Wherefore,  also,  man  is  himself  rightly  said  to  believe  and  repent, 
by  virtue  of  that  grace  received."  And  also  in  article  11:"  But  when 
God  accomplishes  His  good  pleasure  in  the  elect,  or  works  in  them 
true  conversion,  He  not  only  causes  the  Gospel  to  be  externally 
preached  to  them,  and  powerfully  illuminates  their  minds  by  His 
Holy  Spirit,  that  they  may  rightly  understand  and  discern  the 
things  of  the  Spirit  of  God ;  but  by  the  efficacy  of  the  same  regenera- 
ting Spirit,  He  pervades  the  inmost  recesses  of  the  man  ;  He  opens  the 
closed  and  softens  the  hardened  heart,  and  circumcises  that  which 
was  uncircumcised ;  infuses  new  qualities  into  the  will,  which,  tho 
heretofore  dead,  He  quickens;  from  being  evil,  disobedient,  and 
refractory,  He  renders  it  good,  obedient,  and  pliable ;  actuates  and 
strengthens  it,  that  like  a  good  tree  it  may  bring  forth  the  fruits  of 
good  actions."  The  Heidelberg  Catechism  points  to  this,  in  ques- 
tion 8 :  "  Except  we  are  regenerated  by  the  Spirit  of  God."  And  also 
the  Confession,  article  22 :  "  We  believe  that  to  attain  the  true 
knowledge  of  this  great  mystery,  the  Holy  Spirit  kindleth  in  our 
hearts  an  upright  faith,  which  embraces  Jesus  Christ  with  all  His 
merits." 

This  mysterious  background,  which  our  fathers  at  Dort  called 
"  His  pervading  the  inmost  recesses  of  man  by  the  efficacy  of  the 
regenerating  Spirit,"  is  evidently  the  same  as  what  we  call  "  the 
divine  operation  which  penetrates  the  center  of  our  being  to  im- 
plant the  germ  of  the  new  life." 

And  what  is  this  mysterious  working?  According  to  the  univer- 
sal testimony  based  upon  Scripture,  it  is  an  operation  of  the  Holy 
Spirit  in  man's  innermost  being. 

Hence  the  question,  whether  this  regenerating  act  precedes,  ac- 
companies, or  follows  the  hearing  of  the  Word.  And  this  question 
should  be  well  understood,  for  it  involves  the  solution  of  this  seem- 
ing disagreement. 

We  answer :  The  Holy  Spirit  may  perform  this  work  in  the  sin- 
ner's heart  before,  during,  or  after  the  preaching  of  the  Word.    The 


3i8  REGENERATION 

inward  call  may  be  associated  with  the  outward  call,  or  it  may  fol- 
low it.  But  that  which  precedes  the  inward  call,  viz.,  the  opening 
of  the  deaf  ear,  so  that  it  may  be  heard,  is  not  dependent  upon  the 
preaching  of  the  Word;  and  therefore  may  precede  the  preaching. 

Correct  discrimination  in  this  respect  is  of  greatest  impor- 
tance. 

If  I  designate  the  whole  conscious  work  of  grace  from  conversion 
until  death,  "regeneration,"  without  any  regard  to  its  mysterious 
background,  then  I  may  and  7imst  say  with  the  Confession  (article 
24) :  "  That  this  faith,  being  wrought  in  man  by  the  hearing  of  the 
Word,  and  the  operation  of  the  Holy  Spirit,  doth  regenerate  him  and 
make  him  a  new  man." 

But  if  I  distinguish  in  this  work  of  grace,  according  to  the 
claims  of  the  sacraments,  between  the  origin  of  the  new  life,  for 
which  God  gave  us  the  sacrament  of  holy  Baptism,  and  its  support, 
for  which  God  gave  the  sacrament  of  the  holy  Supper,  then  regen- 
eration ceases  immediately  after  man  is  born  again,  and  that  which 
follows  is  called  "  sanctification." 

And  discriminating  again  between  that  which  the  Holy  Spirit 
wrought  in  us  consciously  and  unconsciously,  then  regeneration  desig- 
nates that  which  was  wrought  in  us  unconsciously,  while  conver- 
sion is  the  term  we  apply  to  the  awakening  of  this  implanted  life 
in  our  consciousness. 

Hence  God's  work  of  grace  runs  through  these  three  successive 
stages : 

I  St.  Regeneration  in  its  Jirst  stage,  when  the  Lord  plants  the 
new  life  in  the  dead  heart. 

2d.  Regeneration  in  its  second  stage,  when  the  new-born  man 
comes  to  conversion. 

3d.  Regeneration  in  its  lAird  stage,  when  conversion  merges  into 
sanctification. 

In  each  of  these  three  God  performs  a  wonderful  and  mysterious 
work  in  man's  inward  being.  From  God  proceed  quickening,  con- 
version, and  sanctification,  and  in  each  God  is  the  Worker:  only 
with  this  difference,  that  in  the  quickening  He  works  alone,  finding 
and  leaving  man  inactive ;  that  in  conversion  "Re  finds  us  inactive, 
but  makes  us  active;  that  in  sanctification  He  works  in  us  in  such 
a  manner  that  we  work  ourselves  through  Him. 

Describing  it  still  more  closely,  we  say  that  in  the  first  stage  of 
regeneration,  that  of  quickening,  God  works  ivithout  means  ;  in  the 


REGENERATION   AND    FAITH  '319 

second  stage,  that  of  conversion,  He  employs  means,  viz.,  the  preach- 
ing of  the  Word;  and  in  the  third  stage,  that  of  sanctification,  He 
uses  means  in  addition  to  ourselves,  whom  He  uses  as  means. 

Condensing  the  foregoing,  there  is  one  great  act  of  God  which 
re-creates  the  corrupt  sinner  into  a  new  man,  viz.,  the  comprehen- 
sive act  of  regeneration,  which  contains  three  parts — quickening, 
conversion,  and  sanctification. 

For  the  ministry  of  the  Word  it  is  preferable  to  consider  only 
the  last  two,  conversion  and  sanctification,  since  this  is  the  ap- 
pointed means  to  effect  them.  The  first,  regeneration,  is  preferably 
a  subject  of  private  meditation,  since  in  it  man  is  passive  and  God 
only  active;  and  also  because  in  it  the  majesty  of  the  divine  opera- 
tion is  most  apparent. 

Hence  there  is  no  conflict  or  opposition.  Referring,  according 
to  the  Confession,  article  17,  only  to  conversion  and  sanctification, 
the  unstopping  of  the  deaf  ear  as  preceding  the  bearing  of  the  Word 
is  not  denied.  And  penetrating  into  the  work  which  antedates  con- 
version, "  in  which  God  works  in  us  without  our  aid"  (article  12  of 
the  canons  of  Dort),  it  is  not  denied,  but  confessed,  that  conversion 
and  sanctification  follow  the  unstopping  of  the  deaf  ear,  and  that, 
in  the  proper  sense,  regeneration  is  completed  only  at  the  death  of 
the  sinner. 

Do  not  suppose  that  we  make  these  two  to  conflict.  In  writing 
a  biography  of  Napoleon  it  would  be  sufficient  simply  to  mention 
his  birth,  but  one  might  also  mention,  more  in  particular,  the  things 
that  took  place  before  his  birth.  Just  so  in  this  respect :  I  may  refer 
either  to  the  two  parts  of  regeneration,  conversion  and  sanctifica- 
tion, or  I  may  include  also  that  which  precedes  conversion,  and 
speak  also  of  the  quickening.  This  implies  no  antagonism,  but  a 
mere  difference  of  exactness.  It  is  more  exhaustive,  with  reference 
to  regeneration,  to  speak  of  three  stages— quickening,  conversion, 
and  sanctification;  altho  it  is  customary  and  more  practical  to 
speak  only  of  the  last  two. 

Our  purpose,  however,  calls  for  greater  completeness.  The 
aim  of  this  work  is  not  to  preach  the  Word,  but  to  uncover  the 
foundations  of  the  truth,  so  as  to  stop  the  building  of  crooked  walls 
upon  the  foundation-stone,  after  the  manner  of  Ethicals,  Rational- 
ists, and  Supematuralists. 

Exhaustiveness  in  treatment  requires  to  ask  not  only,  "  How  and 


320  REGENERATION 

what  does  the  quickened  sinner  hear?"  but  also,  "Who  has  given 
him  hearing  ears?" 

And  this  is  all  the  more  to  be  insisted  upon  because  our  chil- 
dren must  not  be  ignored  in  this  respect.  At  Dort,  in  1618,  our 
children  were  taken  into  account,  and  we  may  not  deny  ourselves 
this  pleasant  obligation. 

And  herein  lies  a  real  danger.  For  to  speak  of  the  little  ones 
without  considering  the  first  stage  of  regeneration — i.e.,  the  quick- 
ening— causes  confusion  and  perplexity  from  which  there  is  no 
escape. 

Salvation  depends  upon  faith,  and  faith  upon  the  hearing  of  the 
Word ;  hence  our  deceased  infants  must  be  lost,  for  they  can  not 
hear  the  Word.  To  escape  this  fearful  thought  it  is  often  said  that 
the  children  are  saved  by  virtue  of  the  parents'  faith — a  misunder- 
standing which  greatly  confused  our  entire  conception  of  Baptism, 
and  made  our  baptismal  form  very  perplexing.  But  as  soon  as  we 
distinguish  quickening,  as  a  stage  of  regeneration,  from  conversion 
and  sanctificatioti,  the  light  enters.  For  since  quickening  is  an  un- 
aided act  of  God  in  us,  independent  of  the  Word,  and  frequently 
separated  from  the  second  stage,  conversion,  by  an  interval  of  many 
days,  there  is  nothing  to  prevent  God  from  performing  His  work 
even  in  the  babe,  and  the  apparent  conflict  dissolves  into  beautiful 
harmony.  Moreover,  as  soon  as  I  regard  my  still  unconverted  chil- 
dren as  not  yet  regenerate,  their  training  must  run  in  the  direction 
of  a  questionable  Methodism.*  What  is  the  use  of  the  call  so  long 
as  I  suppose  and  know:  "  This  ear  can  not  yet  hear"? 

Touching  the  question  concerning  "  faith,"  we  are  fully  prepared 
to  apply  the  same  distinction  to  this  matter.  You  have  only  to  dis- 
criminate between  the  organ  or  the  faculty  of  faith,  the  poiver  to 
exercise  faith,  and  the  worki?ig  of  faith.  The  first  of  these  three, 
viz.,  \.h.Q  faculty  of  faith,  is  implanted  in  the  first  stage  of  regenera- 
tion— i.e.,  in  quickening;  the  power  of  faith  is  imparted  in  the  sec- 
ond stage  of  regeneration — i.e.,  in  conversion;  and  the  working  of 
faith  is  wrought  in  the  third  stage — i.e.,  in  sanctification.  Hence 
if  faith  is  wrought  only  by  the  hearing  of  the  Word,  the  preaching 
of  the  Word  does  not  create  the  faculty  of  faith. 

Look  only  at  what  our  fathers  confessed  at  Dort :  "  He  who 
works  in  man  both  to  will  and  to  do  produces  both  the  7vill  to  be- 

*See  the  author's  explanation  of  Methodism  in  section  5  of  the  Preface. 


REGENERATION    AND    FAITH  321 

lieve  and  the  act  of  believing  also  "  (Third  and  Fourth  Heads  of  Doc- 
trine, article  14). 

Or  to  express  it  still  more  strongly :  when  the  Word  is  preached, 
I  know  it ;  and  when  I  hear  it  and  believe  it,  I  know  whence  this 
working  of  faith  comes.  But  the  implanting  of  the  faith-faculty  is 
an  entirely  different  thing;  for  of  this  the  Lord  Jesus  says:  "  Thou 
hearest  the  sound  thereof,  but  canst  not  tell  whence  it  cometh,  and 
whither  it  goeth  " ;  and  as  the  wind,  so  is  also  the  regeneration  of 
man. 


SI 


XXIV. 
Implanting  in  Christ. 

"  Having  become  one  plant  with  Him." 
— Rom.  vi.  5. 

Having  discussed  regeneration  as  God's  act  wrought  in  a  lost, 
wicked,  and  guilty  sinner,  we  now  examine  the  more  sacred  and 
delicate  question :  How  does  this  divine  act  affect  our  relation  to 
Christ? 

We  consider  this  point  more  important  than  the  first,  since  every 
view  of  regeneration  that  does  not  do  full  justice  to  the  "  mystical 
union  with  Christ "  is  anti-Scriptural,  eradicates  brotherly  love,  and 
begets  spiritual  pride. 

The  holy  apostle  declares :  "  I  live,  yet  not  /,  but  Christ  liveth  in 
me,  and  the  life  which  I  now  live  in  the  flesh,  I  live  by  the  faith  of 
the  Son  of  God."  *  The  idea  that  a  saint  can  have  life  outside  of  the 
mystical  union  with  Immanuel  is  but  a  fiction  of  the  imagination. 
The  regenerate  can  live  no  life  but  such  as  consists  in  union  with 
Christ.     Let  this  be  firmly  and  strongly  maintained. 

The  Scriptural  expressions,  "one  plant  with  Him"t  and 
"  branches  of  the  Vine,"  which  must  be  taken  in  their  fullest  signifi- 
cance, are  metaphors  entirely  different  from  those  which  we  use. 
We  are  confined  to  metaphors  which  express  our  meaning  by  anal- 
ogy ;  but  they  can  not  be  fully  applied  nor  express  the  being  of  the 
thing;  hence  the  so-called  third  term  of  the  comparison.  But  the 
figures  used  by  the  Holy  Spirit  express  a  real  conformity,  a  unity 
of  thought  divinely  expressed  in  the  spiritual  and  visible  world. 
Hence  Jesus  could  say :  "  I  am  the  true  Vine,"  that  is,  "  every  other 
vine  is  but  a  figure.     The  true,  the  real  Vine  am  I,  and  I  alone." 

Being  exceedingly  sober  and  choice  in  His  metaphorical  speech, 
the  Lord  Jesus  does  not  say  that  a  branch  is  grafted  into  the  vine, 

*  St.   Paul  does  not  declare  in  these  words  that  he  received  another 
ego  ;  on  the  contrary,  he  says  emphatically  that  in  his  ego,  which  contin- 
ued to  be  his,  it  is  no  more  I  that  live,  but  Christ. 
f  At  least  if  the  words  "with  Him  "  are  original. 


IMPLANTING    IN    CHRIST  323 

simply  because  this  is  not  done  in  nature,  i.e.,  in  the  creation  of 
God.  In  John  xv.,  Jesus  does  not  even  touch  upon  the  question  of 
how  one  becomes  a  branch.  That  is  the  work  of  the  Father.  My 
Father  is  the  Husbandman.  In  John  xv.  3  he  speaks  only  of  a 
person  who  not  abiding  in  Him  withers  and  will  be  burned. 

Even  Rom.  vi.  5  does  not  speak  of  coming  to  Jesus,  and  Rom. 
xi.  17-25  only  partly.  The  former  calls  it  to  become  one  plant 
with  Him,  but  does  not  tell  "how";  and  "  grafting  "  is  not  even 
mentioned.  And  the  latter,  speaking  of  broken  olive-branches,  and 
of  wild  olive-branches  grafted  upon  a  good  olive,  and  lastly  of 
broken  branches  restored  to  the  original  olive,  makes  no  reference 
whatever  to  the  implanting  of  individuals  in  Christ,  as  we  will  soon 
prove. 

And  yet  the  figure  is  only  partly  applicable.  Indeed,  in  Rom. 
xi.,  St.  Paul,  with  his  characteristic  boldness  of  speech  and  style, 
for  comparison's  sake  reverses  God's  work  in  nature;  for  while  in 
reality  the  cultivated  bud  is  grafted  on  the  wild  trunk,  he  makes 
in  this  instance  the  wild  bud  to  be  grafted  upon  the  good  trunk. 
A  bold  stroke  indeed  and  very  profitable  to  us,  for  by  it  he  makes 
us  see  clearly  and  distinctly  the  general  implanting  in  Christ.  But 
that  is  all. 

For,  notice  it  well,  the  figure  is  not  to  be  pressed  too  far.  It  is 
a  mistake  to  make  it  refer  to  the  regeneration  of  the  individual  sin- 
ner. For  a  person  once  implanted  in  Christ  can  not  be  severed 
from  Him:  "No  man  can  pluck  them  out  of  My  hand";  "Whom 
He  has  justified,  them  He  also  glorified." 

And  yet,  reference  is  made  here  to  branches  which  are  broken 
off  and  which  were  grafted  in  again.  If  this  referred  to  particular 
individuals,  then  the  Jews,  who  during  the  life  of  St.  Paul  denied 
the  Lord,  must  have  been  regenerate  persons  who  fell  away  and 
returned  again  before  they  died. 

If  this  had  been  St.  Paul's  meaning,  subsequent  events  would 
have  belied  his  words,  and  he  would  have  revoked  the  whole  tenor 
of  his  other  teachings.  But  he  plainly  means  that  the  tribes  of 
Israel,  who  were  in  the  Covenant  of  Grace,  had  lost  their  position 
therein  by  their  own  fault;  yet  that  even  outside  of  the  Covenant 
they  should  be  preserved  throughout  the  coming  ages,  and  that  in 
the  course  of  history  the  way  would  be  opened  even  for  them  to  be 
reintroduced  into  the  Covenant  of  Grace.  And  this  shows  that 
Rom.  xi.  17-25  does  not  teach  the  regeneration  of  individual  per- 


324  REGENERATION 

sons,  and  that  the  good  olive  does  not  signify  Christ,  for  he  that 
is  implanted  in  Christ  can  never  be  severed  from  Him,  and  he  that 
is  severed  from  Him  never  belonged  to  Him.  Do  we  not  believe 
in  the  perseverance  of  saints? 

It  maybe  objected  that  in  John  xv.  reference  is  made  to  branches 
that  are  cast  forth  from  the  vine ;  to  which  we  answer :  first,  that 
this  does  not  remove  the  difficulty  that  the  apostate  Jews  of  St. 
Paul's  time  were  never  grafted  in  again;  and  second,  that  with 
Calvin  we  hold  that  Jesus,  speaking  of  the  branches  cast  forth,  had 
reference  to  persons  who,  like  Judas,  seemed  to  be  implanted ;  other- 
wise His  own  word,  "  No  man  can  pluck  them  out  of  My  hand,"  can 
not  stand  for  a  moment. 

We  arrive,  therefore,  at  this  conclusion,  that  neither  John  xv.  nor 
Rom.  xi.  has  any  reference  to  personal  regeneration  in  its  limited 
sense;  while  Rom.  vi.,  which  speaks  of  becoming  one  plant,  does 
not  introduce  the  idea  of  ingrafting,  nor  make  the  slightest  allusion 
to  the  manner  in  which  this  "  becoming  one  plant "  had  been  accom- 
plished. 

It  is  unnecessary  to  say  that  not  a  few  exegetes  judge  the 
translation,  "  One  plant  with  Him,"  incorrect,  omitting  the  words 
italicized.  "We  do  not  express  here  an  opinion  regarding  this  ren- 
dering; but  it  shows  clearly  that  Rom.  vi.  has  nothing  to  say  con- 
cerning the  manner  in  which  our  union  with  Christ  is  effected. 

In  fact.  Scripture  never  applies  the  figure  of  grafting  to  regene- 
ration. Rom.  xi.  treats  of  the  restoration  of  a  people  and  nation  to 
the  covenant  of  grace ;  Rom.  vi.  speaks  only  of  a  most  intimate 
union ;  and  John  xv.  never  alludes  to  a  wild  branch  which  became 
good  by  being  planted  in  Christ.  These  figures  set  forth  the  union 
with  Christ,  but  teach  nothing  concerning  the  manner  in  which  this 
union  is  effected.  Scripture  is  utterly  silent  concerning  it;  and 
since  there  is  no  other  source  of  information,  mere  human  inven- 
tions are  utterly  useless.  Even  Christian  experience  does  not  throw 
any  light  upon  it,  for  it  can  not  teach  anything  which  Scripture  has 
not  taught  already ;  and  again,  we  can  easily  perceive  the  union 
with  Christ  where  it  exists,  but  we  can  not  see  it  where  it  does  not 
exist,  or  where  it  is  just  forming. 

And  yet  this  union  with  Christ  must  be  strongly  emphasized. 
The  theologians  who  represent  divine  truth  most  purely  lay  most 
stress  upon  this  matter.     And  altho  Calvin  may  have  been  the  most 


IMPLANTING    IN    CHRIST  325 

rigid  among  the  reformers,  yet  not  one  of  them  has  presented  this 
unto  mystica,  this  spiritual  union  with  Christ,  so  incessantly,  so 
tenderly,  and  with  such  holy  fire  as  he.  And  as  Calvin,  so  did  all 
the  Reformed  theologians,  from  Beza  to  Comrie,  and  from  Zanchius 
to  Kohlbrugge.  "  Without  Christ  nothing,  by  this  mystical  union 
with  Christ  all,"  was  their  motto.  And  even  now  a  preacher's  value 
is  to  be  strictly  measured  by  the  degree  of  prominence  accorded  to 
the  mystical  union  with  Immanuel,  in  his  presentation  of  the  truth. 
The  strong  utterance  of  Kohlbrugge.  "  One  may  be  born  again,  one 
may  be  a  child  of  God,  one  may  be  a  sincere  believer,  yet  without 
this  mystical  union  with  Christ  he  is  nothing  in  himself,  nothing  but 
a  lost  and  wicked  sinner,"  was  always  the  glorious  confession  of  our 
churches.  In  fact,  it  is  what  our  form  for  the  administration  of 
the  Lord's  Supper  so  well  expresses;  "Considering  that  we  seek 
our  life  outside  of  ourselves  in  Jesus  Christ,  we  acknowledge  that 
we  lie  in  the  midst  of  death.' 

But  it  is  wrong  on  this  ground  to  teach — as  some  of  our  younger 
ministers  are  reported  to  teach — and  derogatory  to  the  work  of  the 
Holy  Spirit,  that  regeneration  accomplishes  nothing  in  us,  and  that 
the  whole  work  is  performed  completely  outside  of  us .  as  some  have 
said,  "  That  we  need  not  even  be  converted,  for  even  that  has  been 
done  for  us  vicariously  by  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ."  To  say  that 
there  is  no  difference  between  a  regenerate  person  and  an  unregen- 
erate  is  to  contradict  Scripture  and  to  deny  the  work  of  the  Holy 
Spirit.  Wherefore  we  strongly  oppose  this  notion.  There  is  in- 
deed a  difference.  The  former  has  entered  into  the  union  with 
Christ,  and  the  latter  has  not.  And  upon  this  union  everythifig  de- 
pends .  it  makes  a  difference  in  men  as  between  heaven  and  hell. 

Nor  may  it  be  said,  on  the  contrary,  "  That  a  regenerate  person, 
even  without  the  union  with  Christ,  is  other  or  better  than  an  unbe- 
liever'  ,  for  this  puts  asunder  what  God  has  joined  together.  Out- 
side of  Christ  there  is  in  man  born  of  a  woman  nothing  but  dark- 
ness, corruption,  and  death. 

Hence  we  firmly  maintain  the  indissoluble  oneness  of  these 
two :  "  There  is  no  regeneration  without  establishing  the  mystical 
union  with  Christ",  and  again:  "  There  is  no  mystical  union  with 
Immanuel  but  in  the  regenerate."  These  two  may  never  be  sepa- 
rated ;  and  on  the  long  way  between  the  first  act'of  regeneration  and 
completed  sanctification,  the  unio  mystica  may  not  for  a  moment  be 
lost  sight  of. 


326  REGENERATION 

The  Ethical  theologians  will  probably  assent  to  all  that  we  have 
said  on  this  subject ;  and  yet,  according  to  our  deepest  conviction, 
they  have  wholly  bastardized  and  misapprehended  this  precious 
article  of  faith.  Assuredly  they  strongly  emphasize  the  union  with 
Christ ;  they  even  tell  us  that  they  do  this  more  than  we,  maintain- 
ing that  it  is  immaterial  whether  a  man  is  sound  in  the  Scripture  or 
not  so  long  as  he  is  united  with  Christ.  In  that  case  there  is  no 
more  need  of  any  formula,  confession,  articles  of  faith,  or  even 
faith  in  the  Scripture,  A  prominent  Ethical  professor  at  the  Uni- 
versity of  Utrecht  has  openly  declared :  "  Altho  I  should  lose  the 
entire  Scripture,  yea,  tho  the  truth  of  not  one  of  the  Gospel  narra- 
tives could  be  verified,  I  would  not  be  in  the  least  affected,  for  I 
would  still  possess  union  with  Christ ;  and  having  that,  what  more 
can  a  man  desire?"  And  this  has  such  a  pious  ring,  and  taken  in 
the  abstract  is  so  true,  that  many  a  conscience  must  agree  with  it, 
not  having  the  faintest  suspicion  of  the  apostasy  from  the  faith  of 
the  fathers  contained  in  it. 

If  one  should  ask  us  whether  we  do  not  believe  that  the  soul 
united  with  Jesus  possesses  all  that  can  be  desired,  we  would  almost 
refuse  an  answer,  for  he  knows  better.  No,  indeed,  favored  soul, 
having  that  you  need  no  more ;  depart  in  peace,  thrice  blessed  of 
God. 

But  because  the  mystical  union  with  the  Son  of  God  is  so 
weighty  and  precious  an  article  of  faith,  we  desire  that  every  man 
should  treat  it  most  seriously,  and  examine  whether  the  union 
which  he  says  he  possesses  is  actually  the  same  mystical  union  with 
the  Lord  Jesus  Christ  which  the  Scripture  promises  to  the  children 
of  God,  and  which  they  have  enjoyed  throughout  the  ages. 


XXV. 
Not  a  Divine-Human  Nature. 

"  I  in  them,  and  they  in  Me.'—/oAn 
xvii.  23. 

The  union  of  believers  with  the  Mediator,  of  all  matters  of  faith 
the  most  tender,  is  invisible,  imperceptible  to  the  senses,  and  un- 
fathomable ;  it  escapes  all  inward  vision ;  it  refuses  to  be  dissected 
or  to  be  made  objective  by  any  representation ;  in  the  fullest  sense 
of  the  word  it  is  mystical — unto  mystica,  as  Calvin,  after  the  example 
of  the  early  Church,  called  it. 

And  yet,  however  mysterious,  no  man  is  at  liberty  to  interpret 
it  according  to  his  own  notions ;  in  fact,  there  is  need  of  great  vigi- 
lance lest  under  the  pious  appearance  of  this  mystic  love  injurious 
contraband  be  smuggled  into  the  divine  sanctuary.  We  have  there- 
fore raised  our  voice  against  the  false  representations  of  former 
mystical  sects,  and  of  the  Ethical  theorists  of  the  present  time. 

Let  us  first  explain  the  Ethical  teaching  on  this  point. 

Their  belief  starts  from  the  antithesis  existing  between  God  a.nd 
man.  God  is  the  Creator,  man  is  a  creature.  God  is  infinite,  man 
finite.  God  dwells  in  the  eternal,  and  man  lives  in  the  temporal. 
God  is  holy,  and  man  is  unholy ;  etc.  So  long  as  these  contrasts 
exist,  so  they  teach,  there  can  be  no  unity,  no  reconciliation,  no 
harmony.  And  as  the  pantheistic  philosophy  used  to  talk  about 
three  stages  through  which  life  must  run  its  course— first,  that  of 
proposition  (thesis),  then  that  of  contrast  (antithesis),  and  lastly 
that  of  reconciliation,  combination  (synthesis) — so  the  Ethicals 
teach  that  between  God  and  man  there  exist  these  three :  thesis,  an- 
tithesis, and  synthesis. 

In  the  first  place,  there  is  God.  This  is  the  thesis,  the  proposi- 
tion. Opposed  to  this  thesis  in  God,  the  antithesis,  contrast,  ap- 
pears in  man.  And  this  thesis  and  antithesis  find  their  reconcilia- 
tion, synthesis,  in  the  Mediator,  who  is  at  once  finite  and  infinite, 
burdened  with  our  guilt  and  holy,  temporal,  and  eternal. 

It  is  only  recently  that  we  quoted  the  following  sentence  from 


328  REGENERATION 

Professor  Gunning's  little  book,  "  The  Mediator  between  God  and 
Man  "  (page  28) :  "  Jesus  Christ  is  the  Mediator  equally  between  the 
Jews  and  the  Gentiles;  and  also  between  all  things  that  need  recon- 
ciliation and  mediation ;  as  between  God  and  man,  spirit  and  body, 
heaven  and  earth,  time  and  eternity." 

This  representation  contains  the  fundamental  error  of  the  Ethi- 
cal theology.  It  interferes  with  the  boundaries  which  God  has  set. 
It  effaces  them.  It  causes  all  contrasts  finally  to  disappear.  And 
by  this  very  thing,  without  intending  it,  it  becomes  the  instrument 
of  spreading  the  pantheism  of  the  philosophic  school.  Not  under- 
standing this  system,  one  may  be  deeply  in  love  with  it.  This  pan- 
theistic ferment  is  deeply  seated  in  our  sinful  hearts.  The  waters 
of  pantheism  are  sweet,  their  religious  flavor  is  peculiarly  pleasant. 
There  is  spiritual  intoxication  in  this  cup,  and  once  inebriated  the 
soul  has  lost  its  desire  for  the  sober  clearness  of  the  divine  Word. 
To  escape  from  the  witchery  of  these  pantheistic  charms,  one 
needs  to  be  aroused  by  bitter  experience.  And  once  awakened,  the 
soul  is  alarmed  at  the  fearful  danger  to  which  this  siren  had  ex- 
posed it. 

No ;  the  contrast  between  God  and  man  must  ?iot  cease ;  the  con- 
trast between  heaven  and  earth  may  not  be  placed  upon  the  same 
line  with  that  of  Jew  and  Gentile ;  the  contrast  between  the  infinite 
and  finite  must  ?iot  be  effaced  by  the  Mediator;  time  and  eternity 
must  fiot  be  made  identical.  There  must  be  brought  about  a  recon- 
ciliatio7i  for  the  sinner.  That  is  all,  and  no  more.  "  To  bring  about 
reconciliation "  is  the  work  assigned  to  the  Mediator,  and  that 
alone.  And  this  reconciliation  is  not  between  time  and  eternity, 
the  finite  and  the  infinite,  but  exclusively  between  a  sinful  creature 
and  a  holy  Creator.  It  is  a  reconciliation  that  could  not  have  oc- 
curred if  man  had  not  fallen,  necessitated  only  by  his  fall ;  a  recon- 
ciliation not  essential  to  the  being  of  Christ,  but  His  per  accidens, 
i.e.,  by  something  independent  of  His  being. 

And  since  the  essence  of  true  godliness  is  based  not  in  the  re- 
moval of  the  divinely  appointed  boundaries  and  contrasts,  but  in  a 
deep  reverence  for  the  same ;  and  on  this  ground  the  creature  as 
distinguished  from  the  Creator  may  not  feel  himself  one  with,  but 
absolutely  distinct  from  Him,  it  is  clear  that  this  error  of  the  Ethi- 
cals  affects  the  essence  of  godliness. 

The  early  Church  discovered  this  same  principle  in  Origen,  and 


NOT   A   DIVINE-HUMAN    NATURE  329 

subsequently  in  Eutychus ,  and  our  fathers  of  the  last  century  found 
it  in  the  Hernhutters  and  sharply  opposed  il  And  only  because 
we  lack  knowledge  and  penetration  have  these  Ethical  doctrines 
been  able  to  spread  so  rapidly  here,  in  Germany,  in  Switzerland, 
and  even  in  Scotland,  their  pantheistic  tendencies  undetected. 

And  how  does  this  evil  affect  their  Christology?  It  affects  it  to 
such  extent  that  it  is  entirely  different  from  that  of  the  Reformed 
churches.  Tho  they  tell  us,  "  We  disagree  in  our  views  on  the 
Scriptures,  but  agree  in  our  confession  of  Christ,"  yet  this  is  abso- 
lutely untrue.  Their  Christ  is  not  the  Christ  of  the  Reformed 
churches.  Christ,  as  the  Reformed  Church  according  to  the  Scrip- 
ture and  the  orthodox  Church  of  all  ages  confesses  Him,  is  the 
Son  of  God,  eternal  Partaker  of  the  divine  nature,  who  in  time,  in 
addition  to  the  divine  nature,  adopted  the  human  nature,  uniting 
these  two  natures  in  the  unity  of  one  person.  He  unites  them  in 
such  a  way,  however,  that  these  natures  continue  each  by  itself, 
do  not  blend,  and  do  not  communicate  the  attributes  of  the  one  to 
the  other.  Hence  two  natures  are  united  most  intimately  in  the 
unity  of  one  person,  but  continuing  to  the  end,  and  even  now  in 
heaven,  to  be  two  natures  each  with  its  own  peculiar  properties. 
"He  is  one  not  by  conversion  of  the  Godhead  into  flesh,  but  by  ta- 
king oi  the  manhood  into  God"  (Confession  of  Athanasius,  article 
35).  And  again;  "  He  is  one  not  by  mixture  of  substance,  but  by 
unity  of  person"  (article  36). 

In  like  manner  do  we  confess  in  article  19  of  our  Confession: 
"  We  believe  that  by  this  conception  the  person  of  the  Son  is  insepa- 
rably united  and  connected  with  the  human  nature  ,  so  that  there  are 
not  two  Sons  of  God,  nor  two  persons,  but  two  natures  united  in  one 
single  person;  yet  each  7iature  retains  its  own  distinct  properties.  As 
then  the  divine  nature  has  always  remained  uncreated,  without  be- 
ginning of  days  or  end  of  life,  filling  heaven  and  earth;  so  also  hath 
the  human  nature  not  lost  its  properties,  but  remained  a  creature, 
having  beginning  of  days,  being  a  finite  nature,  and  retaining  all 
the  properties  of  a  real  body.  And  tho  He  hath  by  His  Resurrec- 
tion given  immortality  to  the  same,  nevertheless  He  hath  not 
changed  the  reality  of  His  human  nature ;  forasmuch  as  our  salva- 
tion and  resurrection  also  depend  on  the  reality  of  His  body.  But 
these  two  natures  were  so  closely  united  in  one  person  that  they 
were  not  separated  even  by  His  death." 

This  clear  confession,  which  the  orthodox  Church  has  always 


330  REGENERATION 

defended  against  the  Eutychians  and  Monothelites,  and  which  our 
Reformed  churches  in  particular  have  maintained  in  opposition  to 
the  Lutherans  and  Mystics,  is  opposed  by  the  Ethical  view  all 
along  the  line.  The  late  Prof.  Chantepie  de  la  Saussaye  said  dis- 
tinctly in  his  Inaugural  that  it  was  impossible  to  maintain  the  old 
representation  on  this  point,  which  was  also  upheld  by  our  Confes- 
sion ,  and  that  his  confession  of  the  Mediator  was  another.  Hence 
the  Ethical  wing  deviates  from  the  old  paths  not  only  in  the  mat- 
ter of  the  Scripture,  but  also  in  the  confession  of  the  person  of  the 
Redeemer.  It  teaches  what  the  Reformed  churches  have  always 
denied,  and  denies  what  the  Reformed  churches  have  always  main- 
tained in  opposition  to  churches  less  correct  in  their  views. 

Under  the  influence  which  Schleiermacher's  training  among  the 
Moravian  brethren,  and  his  pantheistic  development  and  Lutheran 
dogmatics,  have  exerted  upon  the  Ethicals,  a  Christ  is  preached  by 
them  who  is  not  the  Christ  to  whom  the  orthodox  Church  of  all  ages 
has  bowed  the  knee;  and  whose  confession  has  always  been  pre- 
served incorrupt  by  the  Reformed,  and  especially  by  our  national, 
theologians.     For  their  conclusions  are  as  follows ; 

I  St.  That  the  Incarnation  of  the  Son  of  God  would  have  taken 
place  even  if  Adam  had  not  sinned. 

2d.  That  He  is  Mediator  not  only  between  the  sinner  and  the 
holy  God,  but  also  between  the  finite  and  the  infinite. 

3d.  That  the  two  natures  mix  together,  and  communicate 
their  attributes  to  each  other  in  such  a  measure  that  from  Him,  who 
is  both  God  and  man,  there  proceeds  that  which  is  divine-hutnan. 

4th.  That  this  divine-human  nature  is  communicated  to  believ- 
ers also. 

This  error  is  immediately  recognized  by  the  use  of  the  word 
divine-human.  Not  that  we  condemn  its  use  in  every  instance. 
On  the  contrary,  when  it  refers  not  to  the  natures,  but  to  ih.Q  person, 
its  use  is  legitimate,  for  in  the  one  person  the  two  natures  are  in- 
separably united.  Still  it  is  better  in  our  days  to  be  chary  of  the 
word.  Divine-human  has  in  the  present  time  a  pantheistic  mean- 
ing, denoting  that  the  contrast  existing  between  God  and  man  did 
not  exist  in  Jesus,  but  that  in  Him  the  antithesis  of  the  divine  and 
the  human  was  not  found. 

And  this  is  wholly  anti-Scriptural,  and  results  in  its  final  conse- 
quences in  a  pure  theosophy.  For  the  actual  result  is  a  blending 
of  the  two  natures;   a  divine  nature  in  God.  a  human  nature  in 


NOT   A   DIVINE-HUMAN    NATURE  331 

man,  and  a  divine-human  nature  in  the  Mediator.  So  that  if  man 
had  not  fallen,  the  Mediator  would  nevertheless  have  appeared  in 
a  divine-human  nature. 

This  is  a  truly  abhorrent  doctrine.  It  puts  in  the  place  of  the 
Savior  from  our  sins  another  and  entirely  different  person;  the 
contrasts  between  the  Creator  and  the  creature  disappear,  the  di- 
vine-human nature  of  the  Christ  is  actually  placed  above  the  divine 
nature  itself.  For  the  Mediator  in  the  divine-human  nature  pos- 
sesses something  that  is  lacking  in  the  divine  nature,  viz.,  its  rec- 
onciliation with  the  human. 

This  shows  how  much  further  the  Ethicals  have  departed  from  the 
pure  confession  of  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ  than  is  generally  believed. 
According  to  them  there  is  in  the  Person  of  the  Mediator  a  kind  of 
new  nature,  a  kind  of  third  nature,  a  kind  of  higher  nature,  which  is 
called  "human-divine."  And  the  union  with  Christ  is  found  (not 
subjectively,  but  objectively)  in  the  fact  that  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ 
pours  into  us  that  new,  third,  higher  kind,  viz.,  the  divine-human 
nature.  Hence  the  regenerate  are  the  persons  who  have  received 
this  new,  third,  higher  kind  of  nature.  This  has  no  connection 
with  sin,  but  would  have  appeared  even  in  the  absence  of  sin.  The 
reconciliation  of  sinners  is  something  additional,  and  does  not  touch 
the  root  of  the  matter. 

The  real  and  principal  thing  is,  that  the  Mediator  between  the 
"finite  and  the  infinite"  (to  use  the  very  words  of  Professor  Gunning) 
imparts  unto  us,  who  have  the  lower,  human  nature,  this  new, 
third,  higher,  divine-human  nature. 

Not  that  the  human  nature  is  to  be  removed  and  the  divine- 
human  nature  take  its  place.  No,  indeed ;  but,  according  to  the  Eth- 
ical theologians,  the  human  nature  is  originally  intended  and  des- 
tined to  be  thus  ennobled,  refined,  and  exalted.  As  the  slip  of  a 
plant,  under  the  influence  of  the  sun,  develops  and  produces  by  and 
by  choice  flowers,  so  does  the  human  nature  develop  and  unfold 
itself  under  the  influence  of  the  Sun  of  Righteousness  into  this 
higher  nature. 

That  this  must  be  accomplished  by  means  of  regeneration  is  on 
account  0/ sin.  If  there  had  been  no  fall  in  Paradise,  and  no  sin 
after  the  fall,  there  would  have  been  no  regeneration,  and  our  na- 
ture's lower  degree  would  have  passed  over  spontaneously  into  that 
higher,  divine-human  nature.  And  this  is,  in  the  circles  of  the  Eth- 
icals. the  basis  of  that  much-lauded  unio  mystica  with  the  Christ. 


332  REGENERATION 

The  invisible  church  is,  according  to  their  view,  that  circle  of 
men  into  whom  this  higher  and  nobler  tincture  of  life  has  been  in- 
stilled, and  others  not  so  favored  still  stand  without.  Hence  their 
lack  of  appreciation  of  the  visible  churches;  for  does  not  the 
divine-human  tincture  of  life  determine  this  circle  of  itself?  Hence 
their  preference  for  the  "  unconsciotis" ;  conscious  confession  and 
expression  of  thought  is  immaterial ;  the  principal  thing  is  to  be 
endowed  with  this  new,  higher,  more  refined,  divine-human  nature. 
This  explains  their  generally  lofty  bearing  toward  men  not  sharing 
their  opinions.  They  belong  to  a  sort  of  spiritual  aristocracy ,  they 
are  of  nobler  descent,  acquainted  with  more  refined  forms,  living 
a  higher  life,  from  which  with  pitying  eyes  they  look  down  upon 
those  who  do  not  dream  their  dreams  of  the  higher  life-tincture. 

Let  it  suffice  here  only  to  say  that  the  Reformed  churches  can 
not  indorse  this  representation  of  the  unio  mysHca,  but  must  posi- 
tively reject  it. 


XXVI. 
The  Mystical  Union  with  Immanuel. 

"  Christ  in  you  the  hope  of  glory."— 
Col.  i.  27. 

The  union  of  believers  with  Christ  their  Head  is  not  effected  by- 
instilling  a  divine-human  life-tincture  into  the  soul.  There  is  no 
divine-human  life.  There  is  a  most  holy  Person,  who  unites  in  Him- 
self the  divine  rt«^the  human  life;  but  both  natures  continue  un- 
mixed, unblended,  each  retaining  its  own  properties.  And  since 
there  is  no  divine-human  life  in  Jesus,  He  can  not  instil  it  into  us. 

We  do  heartily  acknowledge  that  there  is  a  certain  conformity 
and  similarity  between  the  divine  nature  and  the  human,  for  man 
was  created  after  the  image  of  God ;  wherefore  St.  Peter  could  say, 
"  That  we  become  partakers  of  the  divine  nature  "  (2  Peter  i.  4) ;  but, 
according  to  all  sound  expositors,  this  means  only  that  unto  the 
sinner  are  imparted  the  attributes  of  goodness  and  holiness,  which 
he  originally  possessed  in  his  own  nature  in  common  with  the  di- 
vine nature,  but  which  he  lost  by  sin. 

Compared  with  the  nature  of  material  things,  and  with  that  of 
animals  and  of  devils,  there  is  indeed  a  feature  of  conformity  and 
similarity  between  the  divine  and  human  natures.  But  this  may 
not  be  understood  as  obliterating  the  boundary  between  the  divine 
nature  and  the  human.  And,  therefore,  let  this  glorious  word  of 
St.  Peter  no  longer  be  abused  in  order  to  justify  a  philosophic  sys- 
tem which  has  nothing  in  common  with  the  soberness  and  simplic- 
ity of  Holy  Scripture. 

What  St.  Peter  calls  "  to  become  partaker  of  the  divine  nature  " 
is  called  in  another  place,  to  become  the  children  of  God.  But  altho 
Christ  is  the  Son  of  God,  and  we  are  called  the  children  of  God,  this 
does  not  make  the  Sonship  of  Christ  and  our  sonship  to  stand  on 
the  same  plane  and  to  be  of  the  same  nature.  We  are  but  the 
adopted  children,  altho  we  have  another  descent,  while  He  is  the 
actual  and  eternal  Son.  While  He  is  essentially  the  eternal  Son, 
partaker  of  the  divine  nature,  which  in  the  unity  of  His  Person  He 


334  REGENERATION 

unites  with  the  human  nature,  we  are  merely  restored  to  the  likeness 
of  the  divine  nature  which  we  had  lost  by  sin. 

Hence  as  "  to  be  adopted  as  a  child"  and  "to  be  the  Son  forever" 
are  contrasts,  so  are  also  the  following:  "  to  have  the  divine  nature  in 
Himself"  and  "  to  be  only  partakers  of  the  divine  nature" 

The  friend  who  shares  a  bereaved  mother's  mourning  is  not  be- 
reaved himself,  but  through  love  and  pity  he  has  become  partaker 
of  that  mourning.  In  like  manner,  accepting  these  great  and  pre- 
cious promises,  believers  become  partakers  of  the  divine  nature, 
altho  in  themselves  wholly  devoid  of  that  nature.  Partaker  does 
not  denote  what  one  possesses  in  himself,  as  his  own,  but  a  partial 
communication  of  what  dees  not  belong  to  him,  but  to  another. 

Hence  this  glorious,  apostolic  word  should  no  longer  be  used  in 
pantheistic  sense.  As  it  is  unlawful  to  say  that  we  are  the  essential 
children  of  God,  but  must  humbly  confess,  through  Christ,  to  be 
His  adopted  children,  so  it  is  not  lawful  to  say  that  by  faith  we 
become  in  ourselves  bearers  of  the  divine  nature ;  but  we  must  be 
satisfied  with  the  confession  that  through  the  fellowship  of  love, 
God  makes  us  partakers  of  the  vital  emotions  of  the  divine  nature, 
so  far  as  our  human  capacities  are  able  to  experience  them. 

This  brings  us  back  to  the  unio  mystica  with  Christ,  which,  altho 
a  great  and  impenetrable  mystery,  ought  to  be  sufficiently  defined 
to  keep  us  from  falling  into  error.  We  mention,  therefore,  its  vital 
points  and  thus  embody  our  confession  concerning  it: 

ist.  The _;fri'/ point  is,  that  the  Lord  Jesus  does  not  require  us  to 
be  purified  and  sanctified  in  order  to  be  united  to  His  Person. 

Jesus  is  a  Savior  not  of  the  righteous,  but  of  sinners.  And  for 
this  reason  He  has  adopted  the  human  nature :  not  as  the  Baptist 
teaches,  by  receiving  from  heaven  a  newly  created  body,  like  the 
Paradise  body  of  Adam,  but  by  becoming  partaker,  as  the  little 
children,  of  our  flesh  and  blood.  And  the  same  is  true  of  His 
union  with  believers.  He  does  not  wait  until  they  are  pure  and 
holy,  then  to  be  spiritually  betrothed  unto  them ;  but  He  betroths 
Himself  unto  them  that  they  may  become  pure  and  holy.  He  is 
the  rich  Bridegroom,  and  the  soul  the  poverty-stricken  bride.  In 
the  shining  robes  of  His  righteousness  He  comes  and,  finding  her 
black,  unsightly,  and  in  her  native  defilement,  He  says  not,  "  Get 
thyself  clean,  wise,  and  rich,  and  as  a  rich  bride  I  will  betroth  thee 
unto  Me  " ;  but,  "  I  take  thee  just  as  thou  art.    I  say  unto  thee,  in  thy 


THE   MYSTICAL   UNION    WITH    IMMANUEL     335 

blood,  Live.  Tho  thou  art  poor,  betrothing  thee,  I  will  make  thee 
partaker  of  Myself  and  of  My  treasure.  But  a  treasure  of  thine  own 
thou  shalt  never  possess." 

This  point  should  be  firmly  established.  The  Lord  Jesus  unites 
unto  Himself  not  the  righteous,  but  sinners.  He  marries  not  the 
pure  and  the  spotless,  but  the  polluted  and  the  unclean. 

When  the  holy  apostle  Paul  speaks  of  a  bride  whom  he  will  pre- 
sent without  spot  or  wrinkle,  he  has  reference  to  something  entirely 
different  •  not  to  His  betrothal  with  the  individual,  but  to  the  mar- 
riage of  the  Lord  Jesus  with  His  Church  as  a  whole.  So  long  as 
the  Church  continues  in  the  earth,  separated  from  Him,  she  is  His 
bride,  until  in  the  fulness  of  time,  the  separation  ended.  He  will 
introduce  her  to  the  rich  and  full  communion  of  the  united  life  in 
glory. 

2d.  The  second  point  to  which  we  call  attention  is  the  time  when 
this  union  begins. 

To  say  that  this  unio  mystica  is  the  result  of  faith  alone  is  only 
partly  correct.  For  Scripture  teaches  very  distinctly  that  we  were 
already  in  the  Lord  Jesus  when  He  died  on  Calvary,  and  when  He 
arose  from  the  dead;  that  we  ascended  with  Him  unto  heaven;  and 
that  for  eighteen  centuries  we  have  been  seated  with  Him  at  the 
right  hand  of  God.  Hence  we  must  carefully  distinguish  between 
the  five  stages  in  which  the  union  with  Immanuel  unfolds  itself: 

The ^/-j/ of  these  five  stages  lies  in  the  decree  of  God.  From  the 
very  moment  that  the  Father  gave  us  to  the  Son,  we  were  really 
His  own,  and  a  relation  was  established  between  Him  and  us,  not 
weak  and  feeble,  but  so  deep  and  extensive  that  all  subsequent 
relations  with  Immanuel  spring  from  this  fundamental  root-relation 
alone. 

The  second  stage  is  in  the  Incarnation,  when,  adopting  our  flesh, 
entering  into  our  nature.  He  made  that  preexisting,  essential  rela- 
tion actual ;  when  the  bond  of  union  passed  from  the  divine  will, 
i.e.,  from  the  decree,  into  actual  existence.  Christ  in  the  flesh  car- 
ries all  believers  in  the  loins  of  His  grace,  as  Adam  carried  all  the 
children  of  men  in  the  loins  of  his  flesh.  Hence,  not  figuratively 
nor  metaphorically,  but  in  the  proper  sense.  Scripture  teaches  that 
when  Jesus  died  and  arose  we  died  and  arose  with  Him  and  in 
Him. 

The  third  stage  begins  when  we  ourselves  appear  not  in  our 


336  REGENERATION 

birth,  but  in  our  regeneration ;  when  the  Lord  God  begins  to  work 
supernaturally  in  our  souls;  when  in  love's  hour  Eternal  Love  con- 
ceives in  us  the  child  of  God.  Until  then  the  mystic  union  was  hid 
in  the  decree  and  in  the  Mediator;  but  in  and  by  regeneration  the 
person  appears  with  whom  the  Lord  Jesus  will  establish  it.  How- 
ever, not  regeneration  first  and  then  something  new,  viz.,  union 
with  Christ,  but  in  the  very  moment  of  completed  regeneration 
that  union  becomes  an  internally  accomplished  fact. 

This  third  stage  must  be  carefully  distinguished  from  'Ca^  fourth, 
which  begins  not  with  the  quickening,  but  with  the  first  conscious 
exercise  of  faith.  For,  altho  in  regeneration  the  faculty  of  faith 
was  implanted,  it  may  for  a  long  time  remain  inactive ;  and  only 
when  the  Holy  Spirit  causes  it  to  act,  producing  genuine  faith  and 
conversion  in  us,  is  the  union  with  Christ  established  subjectively. 

This  union  is  not  the  subsequent  fruit  of  a  higher  degree  of  holi- 
ness, but  coincides  with  the  first  exercise  of  faith.  Faith  which 
does  not  live  in  Christ  is  no  faith,  but  its  counterfeit.  Genuine 
faith  is  wrought  in  us  by  the  Holy  Ghost,  and  all  that  He  imparts 
to  us  He  draws  from  Christ.  Hence  there  may  be  an  apparent  or 
pretended  faith  without  the  union  with  Christ,  but  not  a  real  faith. 
Wherefore  it  is  an  assured  fact  that  the  first  sigh  of  the  soul,  in  its 
first  exercise  of  faith,  is  the  result  of  the  wonderful  union  of  the 
soul  with  its  Surety. 

We  do  not  deny,  however,  that  there  is  a  gradual  increase  of 
the  conscious  realization,  of  the  lively  feeling,  and  of  the  free  en- 
joyment of  this  union.  A  child  possesses  its  mother  from  the  first 
moment  of  its  existence ;  but  the  sensible  enjoyment  of  its  mother's 
love  gradually  awakens  and  increases  with  the  years,  until  he  fully 
knows  what  a  treasure  God  has  given  him  in  his  mother.  And  thus 
the  consciousness  and  enjoyment  of  what  we  have  in  our  Savior  be- 
comes gradually  clearer  and  deeper,  until  there  comes  a  moment 
when  we  fully  realize  how  rich  God  has  made  us  in  Jesus.  And  by 
this  many  are  led  to  think  that  their  union  with  Christ  dates  from 
that  moment.  This  is  only  apparently  so.  Altho  then  they  be- 
came fully  conscious  of  their  treasure  in  Christ,  the  union  itself 
existed  (even  subjectively)  from  the  moment  of  their  first  cry  of 
faith. 

This  leads  to  the  fifth  and  last  stage,  viz.,  death.  Rejoicing  in 
Him  with  joy  unspeakable  and  full  of  glory,  altho  not  seeing  Him, 
jnuch  more  remains  to  be  desired.     Hence  our  union  with  Him  does 


THE   MYSTICAL   UNION   WITH    IMMANUEL     337 

not  attain  its  fullest  unfolding  until  every  lack  be  supplied  and  we 
see  Him  as  He  is;  and  in  that  blissful  vision  we  shall  be  like  Him, 
for  then  He  will  give  us  all  that  He  has.  Therefore  faith  makes 
us  partakers  first  of  Hitnself  and  then  of  all  His  gi/ts,  as  the  Hei- 
delberg Catechism  clearly  teaches. 

3d.  The  third  point  to  which  we  call  attention  is  the  nature  of 
this  union  with  Immanuel. 

It  has  a  naXViXQ,  peculiar  to  itself;  it  may  be  compared  to  other 
unions,  but  it  can  never  hQ  fully  explained  by  them.  Wonderful  is 
the  bond  between  body  and  soul ;  more  wonderful  still  the  sacra- 
mental bond  of  holy  Baptism  and  the  Lord's  Supper;  equally  won- 
derful the  vital  union  between  mother  and  child  in  her  blood,  like 
that  of  the  vine  and  its  growing  branches ;  wonderful  the  bond  of 
wedlock;  and  much  more  wonderful  the  union  with  the  Holy 
Spirit,  established  by  His  indwelling.  But  the  union  with  Imman- 
uel is  distinct  from  all  these. 

It  is  a  union  invisible  and  intangible ;  the  ear  fails  to  perceive 
it,  and  it  eludes  all  investigation ;  yet  it  is  very  real  union  and  com- 
munion, by  which  the  life  of  the  Lord  Jesus  directly  affects  and 
controls  us.  As  the  unborn  babe  lives  on  the  mother-blood,  which 
has  its  heart-beat  outside  of  him,  so  we  also  live  on  the  Christ-life, 
which  has  its  heart-beat  not  in  our  soul,  but  outside  of  us,  in  heaven 
above,  in  Christ  Jesus. 

4th.  In  the  fourth  place,  altho  the  union  with  Christ  coincides 
with  our  covena?tt-vela.tion  to  Him  as  the  Head,  yet  it  is  not  identical 
with  it.  Our  relations  of  fellowship  to  Christ  are  many.  There  is 
a  fellowship  of  feeling  and  inclination,  of  love  and  attachment ;  we 
are  disciples  of  the  Prophet ;  we  are  His  blood-bought  possession ; 
the  subjects  of  the  King ;  and  members  of  the  Covenant  of  Grace  of 
which  He  is  the  Head.  But  instead  of  absorbing  the  "  u7no  mysti- 
ca,"  they  are  all  based  M'^on  it.  Without  this  real  bond  all  the  oth- 
ers are  only  imaginary.  Hence,  while  we  know,  feel,  and  confess 
that  it  is  glorious  to  be  safely  hid  in  our  Covenant-Head,  it  is  sweeter, 
more  precious  and  delightful  to  live  in  the  mystical  fellowship  of 
Love. 

32 


3f(ftb  Cbapter. 
CALLING  AND  REPENTANCE. 


XXVIL 
The  Calling  of  the  Regenerate. 

"Whom  He  did  predestinate,  them  He 
also  called." — Rom.  viii.  30. 

In  order  to  hear,  the  sinner,  deaf  by  nature,  must  receive  hearing 
ears.  "  He  that  hath  ears  let  him  hear  what  the  Spirit  saith  unto 
the  churches." 

But  by  nature  the  sinner  does  not  belong  to  these  favored  ones. 
This  is  a  daily  experience.  Of  two  clerks  in  the  same  office,  one 
obeys  the  call  and  the  other  rejects  it;  not  because  he  despises  it, 
but  because  he  does  not  hear  God's  call  in  it.  Hence  God's  quick- 
ening act  antedates  the  sinner's  hearing,  and  thus  he  becomes  able 
to  hear  the  Word. 

The  quickening,  the  implanting  of  the  faith-faculty,  and  the 
uniting  of  the  soul  to  Christ,  apparently  three  acts,  are  in  reality 
but  one  act,  together  constituting  (objectively)  the  so-called  yfr^/ 
grace.  In  the  operation  of  this  grace  the  sinner  is  perfectly  passive 
and  indifferent;  the  subject  of  an  action  which  does  not  involve  the 
slightest  operation,  yielding,  or  even  non-resistance  on  his  part. 

In  fact,  the  sinner,  being  dead  in  trespasses  and  sins,  is  under 
this  first  grace  like  a  soulless,  motionless  body,  with  all  the  passive 
properties  belonging  to  a  corpse.  This  fact  can  not  be  stated  with 
sufficient  force  and  emphasis.  It  is  an  absolute  passivity.  And 
every  effort  or  inclination  to  claim  for  the  sinner  the  minutest  co- 
operation in  this  first  grace  destroys  the  Gospel,  severs  the  artery 
of  the  Christian  confession,  and  is  not  only  heretical,  but  anti- 
Scriptural  in  the  highest  sense. 

This  is  the  point  where  the  sign-post  is  erected,  where  the  roads 


THE    CALLING    OF   THE    REGENERATE      339 

divide,  where  the  men  of  the  purified,  that  is,  the  Reformed  Con- 
fession, part  company  with  their  opponents. 

Having  stated  this  fact  forcibly  and  definitely,  it  is  of  the  utmost 
importance  to  state  with  equal  emphasis  that,  in  all  the  subsequent 
operations  of  grace  (so-called  second  grace),  this  absolute  passivity 
is  made  to  cease  by  the  wonderful  act  of  the  first  grace.  Hence  in 
all  subsequent  grace  the  sinner  to  some  extent  cooperates. 

In  the  first  grace  the  sinner  is  absolutely  like  a  corpse.  But  the 
sinner's  first  passivity  and  his  subsequent  cooperation  must  not  be 
confounded.  There  is  a  passivity,  after  the  Scripture,  which  can 
not  be  exaggerated,  which  must  be  left  intact ;  but  there  is  also 
a  passivity  which  is  pretended,  anti-Scriptural,  and  sinful.  The 
difference  between  the  two  is  not  that  the  former  is  partially 
cooperating,  and  the  latter  without  any  cooperation  whatever. 
Surely  by  such  temporizing  the  churches  and  the  souls  in  them  are 
not  inspired  with  energy  and  enthusiasm.  No;  the  difference  be- 
tween the  sound  and  the  sickly  passivity  consists  herein,  that  the 
former,  which  is  absolute  and  unlimited,  belongs  to  fhQ  first  grace, 
to  which  it  is  indispensable;  while  the  latter  clings  to  the  second  grace, 
where  it  does  not  belong. 

Let  there  be  clear  insight  into  this  truth,  which  is  after  all  very 
simple.  The  elect  but  unregenerate  sinner  can  do  nothing,  and 
the  work  that  is  to  be  wrought  in  him  must  be  wrought  by  another. 
This  is  the  first  grace.  But  after  this  is  accomplished  he  is  no 
longer  passive,  for  something  was  brought  into  him  which  in  the 
second  work  of  grace  will  cooperate  with  God. 

But  it  is  not  implied  that  the  elect  and  regenerate  sinner  is  now 
able  to  do  anything  without  God;  or  that  if  God  should  cease  work- 
ing in  him,  conversion  and  sanctification  would  follow  of  them- 
selves. Both  these  representations  are  thoroughly  untrue,  un-Re- 
formed,  and  unchristian,  because  they  detract  from  the  work  of  the 
Holy  Spirit  in  the  elect.  No ;  all  spiritual  good  is  of  grace  to  the 
end :  grace  not  only  in  regeneration,  but  at  every  step  of  the  way 
of  life.  From  the  beginning  to  the  end  and  throughout  eternity 
the  Holy  Spirit  is  the  Worker,  of  regeneration  and  conversion,  of 
justification  and  every  part  of  sanctification,  of  glorification,  and  of 
all  the  bliss  of  the  redeemed.     Nothing  may  be  subtracted  from 

this. 

But  while  the  Holy  Spirit  is  the  only  Worker  in  the  first  grace, 


340  CALLING   AND    REPENTANCE 

in  all  subsequent  operations  of  grace  the  regenerate  always  coope- 
rates with  Him,  Hence  it  is  not  true,  as  some  say,  that  the  regen- 
erate is  just  as  passive  as  the  unregenerate ;  this  only  detracts  from 
the  work  of  the  Holy  Spirit  in  the  frst  grace.  Neither  is  it  true 
that  henceforth  the  regenerate  is  the  principal  worker,  only  assisted 
by  the  Holy  Spirit;  for  this  is  eqtially  derogatory  to  the  Spirit's 
work  in  the  second  grace. 

Both  these  errors  should  be  opposed  and  rejected.  For  altho, 
on  the  one  hand,  it  is  said  that  the  regenerate,  considered  out  of 
Christ,  still  lies  in  the  midst  of  death ;  yet,  tho  he  be  considered  a 
thousand  times  out  of  Christ,  he  remains  in  Him,  for  once  in  His 
hand  no  one  can  pluck  him  out  of  it.  And  altho,  on  the  other 
hand,  the  regenerate  is  constantly  admonished  to  be  active  and 
diligent,  yet.  tho  the  horse  does  the  pulling,  it  is  not  the  horse  but 
the  driver  ^cho  drives  the  carriage. 

Reserving  this  last  point  until  we  consider  sanctification,  we 
now  consider  the  calling,  for  this  sheds  more  light  upon  the  confes- 
sion of  the  Reformed  churches  concerning  the  second  grace  than 
any  other  part  of  the  work  of  grace. 

After  the  elect  sinner  is  born  again,  i.e.,  quickened,  endowed 
with  the  faculty  of  faith,  and  united  with  Jesus,  the  next  work  of 
grace  in  him  is  calling,  of  which  Scripture  speaks  with  such  empha- 
sis and  so  often.  "  But  as  He  which  has  called  you  is  holy,  so  be  ye 
holy  in  all  manner  of  conversation  "  ;  "  Who  hath  called  you  out  of 
darkness  into  His  marvelous  light";  "The  God  of  all  grace  who 
hath  called  us  unto  His  eternal  glory  "  ;  "  Whereunto  He  called  you 
by  our  Gospel,  to  the  obtaining  of  the  glory  of  our  Lord  Jesus 
Christ;"  "Who  hath  called  you  unto  His  Kingdom  and  Glory'; 
"  I  beseech  you  to  walk  worthy  of  the  calling  wherewith  ye  were 
called ; "  and  not  to  mention  more  :  "  Give  diligence  to  make  your 
calling  and  election  sure;  for  if  ye  do  these  things  ye  shall  never 
fall." 

In  the  Sacred  Scripture  calling  has,  like  regeneration,  a  wider 
sense  and  a  more  limited. 

In  the  former  sense,  it  means  to  be  called  to  the  eternal  glory ; 
hence  this  includes  all  that  precedes,  i.e.,  calling  to  repentance,  to 
faith,  to  sanctification,  to  the  performance  of  duty,  to  glory,  to  the 
eternal  kingdom,  etc. 

Of  this,  however,  we  do  not  speak  now.  It  is  now  our  intention 
to  consider  the  calling  in  its  limited  sense,  which  signifies  exclu« 


THE   CALLING   OF   THE   REGENERATE      341 

sively  the  calling  whereby  we  are  called  from  darkness  into  light, 
i.e.,  the  call  unto  repentance. 

This  call  unto  repentance  is  by  many  placed  upon  the  same  level 
with  the  "drawing,"  of  which,  e.g.,  Jesus  speaks:  "No  man  can 
come  unto  Me  except  the  Father  draw  him."  This  we  find  also  in 
some  of  St.  Paul's  words:  "Who  hath  delivered  [Dutch  translation, 
drawn  J  us  from  the  power  of  darkness  " ;  "  That  He  might  deliver 
\draw\  us  from  this  present  evil  world  according  to  the  will  of  God 
and  our  Father."  However,  this  seems  to  me  less  correct.  He  that 
must  be  drawn  seems  to  be  unwilling.  He  that  is  called  must  be 
able  to  come.  The  first  implies  that  the  sinner  is  still  passive, 
and  therefore  refers  to  the  operation  of  \.\\q.  first  grace  j  the  second 
addresses  the  sinner  himself,  and  counts  him  able  to  come,  and 
hence  belongs  to  the  second  grace. 

This  "calling  "is  a  summons.  It  is  not  merely  the  calling  of 
one  to  tell  him  something,  but  a  call  implying  the  command  to 
come ;  or  a  beseeching  call,  as  when  St.  Paul  prays :  "  As  tho  God 
did  beseech  you,  be  ye  reconciled  to  God";  or  as  in  the  Proverbs: 
"  My  son,  give  Me  thine  heart." 

God  sends  this  call  forth  by  the  preachers  of  the  Word :  not  by 
the  independent  preaching  of  irresponsible  men,  but  by  those 
whom  He  Himself  sends  forth;  men  especially  endowed,  hence 
whose  calling  is  not  their  own,  but  His.  They  are  the  ministers  of 
the  Word,  royal  ambassadors,  in  the  name  of  the  King  of  Kings 
demanding  our  heart,  life,  and  person ;  yet  whose  value  and  honor 
depend  exclusively  upon  their  divine  mission  and  commission.  As 
the  value  of  an  echo  depends  upon  the  correct  returning  of  the 
word  received,  so  does  their  value,  honor,  and  significance  depend 
solely  upon  the  correctness  wherewith  they  call,  as  an  echo  of  the 
Word  of  God.  He  who  calls  correctly  fills  the  highest  conceivable 
office  on  earth ;  for  he  calls  kings  and  emperors,  standing  above 
them.  But  he  who  calls  incorrectly  or  not  at  all  is  like  a  sounding 
brass;  as  a  minister  of  the  Word  he  is  worthless  and  without  honor, 
True  to  the  pure  Word,  he  is  all ;  without  it,  he  is  nothing.  Such  is 
the  responsibility  of  the  preacher. 

This  should  be  noticed  lest  Arminianism  creep  into  the  holy 
office.  The  preacher  must  be  but  instrument  of  the  Holy  Spirit; 
even  the  sermon  must  be  the  product  of  the  Holy  Ghost.  To  sup- 
pose that  a  preacher  can  have  the  least  authority,  honor,  or  official 
significance  outside  of  the  Word,  is  to  make  the  office  Arminian ; 


342  CALLING   AND    REPENTANCE 

not  the  Holy  Spirit,  but  the  dominie,  is  the  worker;  he  works  with 
all  his  might,  and  the  Holy  Spirit  may  be  the  minister's  assistant. 
To  avoid  such  mistake,  our  Reformed  churches  have  always  purged 
themselves  of  the  leaven  of  clericalism. 

And  through  this  office  the  call  goes  forth  from  the  pulpit,  in 
the  catechetical  class,  in  the  family,  in  writing,  and  by  personal 
exhortation.  However,  not  always  to  every  sinner  directly 
through  the  office.  On  a  ship  at  sea  God  may  use  a  godly  com- 
mander to  call  sinners  to  repentance.  In  a  hospital  without  spir- 
itual supervision  the  Lord  may  use  a  pious  man  or  woman,  both  to 
nurse  the  sick  and  call  their  souls  to  repentance.  In  a  village 
where  the  quasi-minister  neglects  his  duty,  the  Lord  God  may  be 
pleased  to  draw  souls  to  life  by  printed  sermons  and  books,  by  a 
newspaper  even,  or  by  individual  exhortation. 

And  yet  in  all  these  the  authority  to  call  reposes  in  the  divine 
embassy  of  the  ministry  of  the  Word.  For  the  instruments  of  the 
call,  whether  they  were  persons  or  printed  books,  proceeded  from 
the  office.  The  persons  were  themselves  called  through  the  office, 
and  they  only  transmitted  the  divine  message ;  and  the  printed 
books  offered  on  paper  what  otherwise  is  heard  in  the  sanctuary. 

This  calling  of  the  Holy  Spirit  proceeds  in  and  through  the 
preaching  of  the  Word,  and  calls  upon  the  regenerated  sinner  to 
arise  from  death,  and  to  let  Christ  give  him  light.  It  is  not  a  call- 
ing of  persons  still  ^//regenerate,  simply  because  such  have  no 
hearing  ear. 

It  is  true  that  the  preaching  of  missionary  or  minister  of  the 
Word  addresses  itself  also  to  others,  but  this  is  not  at  all  in  conflict 
with  what  we  have  just  said.  In  the  first  place,  because  there  is 
also  an  outward  call  to  the  unregenerate,  in  order  to  deprive  them 
of  an  excuse,  and  to  show  that  they  have  no  hearing  ears.  And 
second,  because  the  minister  of  the  Word  does  not  know  whether 
a  man  is  born  again  or  not,  wherefore  he  may  make  no  difference. 

As  a  rule,  every  baptized  person  should  be  reckoned  as  belong- 
ing to  the  regenerated  (but  not  always  converted);  wherefore  the 
preacher  must  call  every  baptized  person  to  repentance,  as  tho  he 
were  born  again.  But  let  no  one  commit  the  mistake  of  applying 
this  rule,  which  applies  only  to  the  Church  as  a  whole,  to  every  per- 
son in  the  Church.  This  would  be  either  the  climax  of  thoughtless- 
ness or  a  complete  misunderstanding  of  the  reality  of  the  grace  of 
God. 


XXVIII. 
The  Coming  of  the  Called. 

"  That  the  purpose  of  God  according 
to  election  might  stand,  not  of 
works,  but  of  Him  that  calleth." 
— Rom.  ix.  II. 

The  question  is,  whether  the  elect  cooperate  in  the  call. 

We  say,  Yes;  for  the  call  is  no  call,  in  the  fullest  sense  of  the 
word,  unless  the  called  one  can  hear  and  hears  so  distinctly  that  it 
impresses  him,  causes  him  to  rise  and  to  obey  God.  For  this  rea- 
son our  fathers,  for  the  sake  of  clearness,  used  to  distinguish  be- 
tween the  ordinary  call  and  the  effectual  call. 

God's  call  does  not  go  forth  to  the  elect  alone.  The  Lord  Jesus 
said:  "  Many  are  called,  few  are  chosen."  And  the  issue  shows  that 
masses  of  men  die  unconverted,  altho  called  by  the  outward,  or- 
dinary call. 

Nor  should  this  outward  call  be  slighted  or  esteemed  unimpor- 
tant; for  by  it  the  judgment  of  many  shall  be  made  the  heavier  in 
the  day  of  judgment:  "  If  the  mighty  works  which  have  been  done 
in  you  had  been  done  in  Tyre  and  Sidon,  they  would  have  repented 
long  ago  in  sackcloth  and  ashes.  Therefore  it  shall  be  more  toler- 
able for  Tyre  and  Sidon  than  for  you  "  ;  "  And  the  servant  which 
knew  the  Lord's  will  and  did  not  according  to  His  will  shall  be 
beaten  with  many  stripes."  Moreover,  the  effect  of  this  outward 
call  reaches  sometimes  much  deeper  than  is  generally  supposed, 
and  brings  one  sometimes  to  the  very  point  of  real  conversion. 

The  unregenerate  are  not  so  insensible  to  the  truth  as  never  to 
be  touched  by  it.  The  decisive  words  of  Heb.  vi.,  concerning  the 
apparently  converted  who  have  even  tasted  of  the  heavenly  gift, 
prove  the  contrary.  St.  Peter  speaks  of  sows  which  were  washed 
and  then  returned  to  the  wallowing  in  the  mire.  One  can  be  per- 
suaded to  be  almost  a  Christian.  But  for  the  selling  of  his  goods 
the  rich  young  ruler  would  have  been  won  for  Christ.     Wherefore 


344  CALLING   AND    REPENTANCE 

the  effect  of  the  ordinary  call  is  by  no  means  as  weak  and  meager 
as  is  commonly  believed.  In  the  parable  of  the  sower  the  fourth 
class  of  hearers  alone  belong  to  the  elect,  for  they  alone  bear  fruit. 
Still  there  is  among  two  of  the  remaining  classes  a  considerable 
amount  of  growth.  One  of  them  even  produces  high  stalks  and 
ears;  only  there  is  no  fruit. 

And  for  this  reason  the  men  that  company  with  the  people  of 
God  should  earnestly  examine  their  own  hearts,  whether  their  fol- 
lowing'of  the  Word  is  the  result  of  having  the  seed  sown  in  "  good 
ground."  Oh,  there  is  so  much  of  illumination  and  of  delight  even; 
and  yet  only  to  be  choked,  because  it  does  not  contain  the  genuine 
germ  of  life. 

All  these  unregenerate  persons  lack  saving  grace.  They  hear 
only  with  the  carnal  understanding.  They  receive  the  Word,  but 
only  in  the  field  of  their  unsanctified  imagination.  They  let  it 
work  upon  their  natural  conscience.  It  plays  merely  upon  the 
waves  of  their  natural  emotions.  Thus  they  may  be  moved  to 
tears,  and  they  ardently  love  whatever  so  affects  them.  Yea,  they 
often  perform  many  good  works  which  are  truly  praiseworthy; 
they  may  even  give  their  goods  to  the  poor,  and  their  bodies  to  be 
burned.  Their  salvation  is  therefore  considered  to  be  a  matter  of 
fact.  But  the  holy  apostle  completely  destroys  their  hope,  saying: 
"  Tho  you  speak  with  the  tongues  of  men  and  of  angels,  tho  you 
understand  all  mystery,  tho  you  give  all  your  goods  to  feed  the 
poor,  and  tho  you  give  your  body  to  be  burned,  and  have  not  love, 
it  profiteth  you  nothing." 

Hence  to  be  God's  child  and  not  a  sounding  brass,  deep  insight 
into  the  divine  mysteries,  an  excited  imagination,  a  troubled  con- 
science, and  waves  of  feeling  are  not  required,  for  all  these  may  be 
experienced  without  any  real  covenant  grace ;  but  what  is  needed 
is  true,  deep  love  operating  in  the  heart,  illuminating  and  vitali- 
zing all  these  things. 

Adam's  sin  consisted  in  this,  that  he  banished  all  the  love  of 
God  from  his  heart.  Now  it  is  impossible  to  be  neutral  or  indiffer- 
ent toward  God.  When  Adam  ceased  to  love  God,  he  began  to  hate 
Him.  And  it  is  this  hatred  of  God  which  no  wlies  at  the  bottom  of 
the  heart  of  every  child  of  Adam.  Hence  conversion  means  this, 
that  a  man  get  rid  of  that  hatred  and  receive  loi>e  in  its  place.  He 
who  says  from  the  heart,  "  I  love  the  Lord,"  is  all  right.  What 
more  can  he  desire ! 


THE   COMING   OF   THE   CALLED  345 

But  as  long  as  there  is  no  love  for  God,  there  is  nothing.  For 
mere  willingness  to  do  something  for  God,  even  to  bear  great  sacri- 
fices, and  to  be  very  pious  and  benevolent,  except  it  spring  from 
the  right  motive,  is  in  its  deepest  ground  nothing  but  a  despising  of 
God.  However  beautiful  the  veneering,  all  these  apparently  good 
works  are  inwardly  cankered,  sin-eaten,  and  decayed.  Love  alone 
imparts  the  real  flavor  to  the  sacrifice.  Wherefore  the  holy  apostle 
declares  so  sternly  and  sharply :  "  Tho  you  give  your  body  to  be 
burned,  and  have  not  love,  it  profiteth  you  nothing." 

To  perform  good  works  in  order  to  be  saved,  or  to  oblige  God, 
or  to  make  one's  own  piety  lofty  and  conspicuous,  is  a  growth  from 
the  old  root  and  at  the  most  but  a  semblance  of  love.  To  cherish 
true  love  for  God  is  to  be  constrained  by  love  to  yield  one's  ego 
with  all  that  it  is  and  has,  and  to  let  God  be  God  again.  And  the 
ordinary,  the  general,  the  outward  call  never  has  such  effect ;  it  is 
incapable  of  producing  it. 

Wherefore  we  leave  the  ordinary  call  and  return  to  the  call 
which  is  particular,  wonderful,  inward,  and  effectual;  which  ad- 
dresses itself  not  to  all,  but  exclusively  to  the  elect. 

This  call,  which  is  spoken  of  as"  heavenly"  (Heb.  iii.  i),  as  "holy" 
(2  Tim.  i.  9),  as  "  being  without  repentance  "  (Rom.  xi.  29),  is  "  according 
to  God' s  purpose"  (Rom.  viii.  28),  is  "from  above  in  Christ  J  esus  our 
Lord"  (Phil.  iii.  14),  and  does  not  have  its  starting-point  in  the 
preaching.  He  that  calls  by  it  is  God,  not  the  minister.  And  this 
call  goes  forth  by  the  means  of  two  agencies,  one  coming  to  man 
from  without  and  the  other  from  within.  Both  these  agencies  are 
effectual,  and  the  call  has  accomplished  its  purpose  and  the  sinner 
has  come  to  repentance  as  soon  as  their  workings  meet  and  unite 
in  the  center  of  his  being. 

Hence  we  deny  that  the  regenerate,  hearing  the  preached 
Word,  will  come  of  himself.  We  do  not  thus  understand  their  co- 
operation. If  the  inward  call  is  sufficient,  how  is  it  that  the  regen- 
erate can  sometimes  hear  the  preaching  without  arising,  unrepent- 
ant, refusing  to  let  Christ  give  him  light?  But  we  confess  that 
the  call  of  the  regenerate  is  twofold:  from  without  by  the  preached 
Word,  and  from  within  by  the  exhortation  and  conviction  of  the 
Holy  Spirit. 

Hence  the  work  of  the  Holy  Spirit  in  the  calling  is  twofold : 

The  first  work  is,  as  He  comes  with  the  Word:  the  Word  which 
Is  inspired,  prepared,  committed  to  writing,  and  preserved  by  Him- 


346  CALLING   AND    REPENTANCE 

self,  who  is  God  the  Holy  Ghost.  And  He  brings  that  Word  to  the 
sinners  by  preachers  whom  He  Himself  has  endowed  with  talents, 
animation',  and  spiritual  insight.  And  so  wonderfully  does  He 
conduct  that  preaching  through  the  channel  of  the  otBce  and  of  the 
historical  development  of  the  confession,  that  at  last  it  comes  to 
him  in  the  form  and  character  required  to  affect  and  win  him. 

We  see  in  this  a  very  mysterious  leading  of  the  Holy  Spirit. 
Afterward  a  preacher  will  learn  that,  under  his  preaching  in  such 
a  church  and  at  such  an  hour,  a  regenerate  person  was  converted. 
And  yet  he  had  not  specially  prepared  himself  for  it.  Frequently 
he  did  not  even  know  that  person ;  much  less  his  spiritual  condi- 
tion. And  yet,  without  knowing  it,  his  thoughts  were  guided  and 
his  word  was  prepared  in  such  a  way  by  the  Holy  Ghost ;  perhaps 
he  looked  at  the  man  in  such  a  manner  that  his  word,  in  connection 
with  the  Spirit's  inward  operation,  became  to  him  the  real  and  con- 
crete Word  of  God.  We  hear  it  often  said:  "That  was  directly 
preached  at  me."  And  so  it  was.  It  should  be  understood,  how- 
ever, that  it  was  not  the  minister  who  preached  at  you,  for  he  did 
not  even  think  of  you ;  but  it  was  the  Holy  Spirit  Himself.  It  was 
He  who  thought  of  you.  It  was  He  who  had  it  all  prepared  for 
you.     It  was  He  Himself  who  wrought  in  you. 

The  ministers  of  the  Word  should  therefore  be  exceedingly 
careful  not  in  the  least  to  boast  of  the  conversions  that  occur  under 
their  ministry.  When  after  days  of  failure  the  fisherman  draws  his 
net  full  of  fishes,  is  this  cause  for  the  net  to  boast  itself?  Did  it  not 
come  up  empty  again  and  again ;  and  then  was  it  not  nearly  torn 
asunder  by  the  multitude  of  fishes? 

To  say  that  this  proves  the  efficiency  of  the  preacher  is  against 
the  Scripture.  There  may  be  two  ministers,  the  one  well  grounded 
in  doctrine,  the  other  but  lightly  furnished ;  and  yet  the  former  has 
no  conversions  in  his  church,  while  the  latter  is  being  richly  blessed. 
In  this  the  Lord  God  is  and  remains  the  Sovereign  Lord.  He  passes 
by  the  heavily  armed  champions  in  Saul's  army,  and  David,  with 
scarcely  any  weapons  at  all,  slays  the  giant  Goliath.  All  that  a 
preacher  has  to  do  is  to  consider  how,  in  obedience  to  his  Lord,  he 
may  minister  the  Word,  leaving  results  with  the  Lord.  And  when 
the  Lord  God  gives  him  conversions,  and  Satan  whispers,  "  What 
an  excellent  preacher  you  are,  that  it  was  given  you  to  convert  so 
many  men!"  then  he  is  to  say,  "  Get  thee  behind  me,  Satan,"  giv- 
ing the  glory  to  the  Holy  Spirit  alone. 


THE    COMING   OF   THE   CALLED  347 

j5owever,  it  is  not  the  Holy  Spirit's  only  care  in  such  a  way 
and  focus  of  life  to  cause  the  Word  to  come  to  a  regenerate  person, 
but  He  adds  also  a  second  uwrk,  viz.,  that  by  which  the  preached 
Word  effectively  enters  the  very  center  of  his  heart  and  life. 

By  this  second  care  He  so  illuminates  his  natural  understand- 
ing and  strengthens  his  natural  ability  and  imagination  that  he 
receives  the  general  tenor  of  the  preached  Word  and  thoroughly 
understands  its  contents. 

But  this  is  not  all,  for  even  pretended  believers  may  have  this. 
The  seed  of  the  Word  attains  this  growth  also  in  those  who  have 
received  the  seed  into  a  rocky  ground  and  among  thorns.  Hence 
to  this  is  added  the  illumitiation  of  his  understanding,  which  wonder- 
ful gift  enables  him  not  only  to  apprehend  the  general  sense  of  the 
preached  Word,  but  also  to  perceive  and  realize  that  this  Word 
comes  to  him  directly  _/rf;«  God;  that  it  affects  and  condemns  his 
very  being,  thus  causing  him  to  penetrate  into  its  hidden  essence 
and  feel  the  sharp  sting  which  effects  conviction. 

Lastly,  the  Holy  Spirit  plies  this  conviction — which  otherwise 
would  quickly  vanish — so  long  and  so  severely,  that  finally  the  sting, 
like  the  keen  edge  of  a  lancet,  pierces  the  thick  skin  and  lays  open 
the  festering  sore.  This  is  in  the  called  a  very  wonderful  opera- 
tion. The  general  understanding  puts  the  matter  before  him ;  the 
illumination  reveals  to  him  what  it  contains:  and  the  conviction  puts 
the  sharp  two-edged  sword  directly  upon  his  heart.  Then,  how- 
ever, he  is  inclined  to  shrink  from  that  sword ;  not  to  let  it  pierce 
through,  but  to  let  it  glance  harmlessly  from  the  soul.  But  then 
the  Holy  Spirit,  in  full  activity,  continues  to  press  that  sword  of 
conviction,  driving  it  so  forcibly  into  the  soul  that  at  last  it  cuts 
through  and  takes  effect. 

But  this  does  not  end  the  calling.  For  after  the  Holy  Spirit  has 
done  all  this.  He  begins  to  operate  upon  the  will ;  not  by  forcibly 
bending  it,  as  an  iron  rod  in  the  strong  hand  of  the  blacksmith,  but 
by  making  it,  tho  stiff  and  unyielding,  pliant  and  tender  from  with- 
in. He  could  not  do  this  in  the  unregenerate.  But  having  laid  in 
regeneration  the  foundation  of  all  these  subsequent  operations  in 
the  soul.  He  proceeds  to  build  upon  it ;  or,  to  take  another  figure. 
He  draws  the  sprouts  from  the  germ  planted  in  the  ground.  They 
do  not  start  of  themselves,  but  He  draws  them  out  of  the  germ.  A 
grain  of  wheat  deposited  in  a  desk  remains  what  it  is;  but  warmed 


348  CALLING   AND    REPENTANCE 

by  the  sun  in  the  soil,  the  heat  causes  it  to  sprout.  And  so  it  is 
here.  The  vital  germ  can  do  nothing  of  itself;  it  remains  what  it 
is.  Rut  when  the  Holy  Spirit  causes  the  fostering  rays  of  the  Sun 
of  Righteousness  to  play  upon  it,  then  it  germinates,  and  thus  He 
draws  from  it  the  blade  and  the  ear  and  the  corn  in  the  ear. 

Hence  the  yielding  of  the  will  is  the  result  of  a  tenderness  and 
emotion  and  affection  which  sprang  from  the  implanted  germ  of 
life,  by  which  the  will,  which  was  at  first  inflexible,  became  pliant; 
by  which  that  which  was  inclined  to  the  left  was  drawn  to  the  right. 
And  so,  by  this  last  act,  conviction,  with  all  that  it  contains,  was 
brought  into  the  will ;  and  this  resulted  in  the  yielding  of  self,  giv- 
ing glory  to  God. 

And  in  this  way  love  entered  the  soul — love  tender,  genuine,  and 
mysterious,  the  ecstasy  of  which  vibrates  in  our  hearts  during  all 
our  after-life. 

And  this  finishes  the  exposition  of  the  divine  work  of  calling. 
It  belongs  to  the  elect  alone.  It  is  irresistible,  and  no  man  can  hin- 
der it.  Without  it  no  sinner  ever  passed  from  the  bitterness  of 
hatred  to  the  sweetness  of  love.  When  the  call  and  regeneration  co- 
incide, they  seem  to  be  one;  and  so  they  are  to  our  consciousness: 
but  actually  they  are  distinct.  They  differ  in  this  respect,  that  re^ 
generation  takes  place  independently  of  the  will  and  understanding  ; 
that  it  is  wrought  in  us  without  our  aid  or  cooperation ;  while  in 
calling,  the  will  and  understanding  begin  to  act,  so  that  we  hear 
with  both  the  outward  and  inward  ear,  and  with  the  inclined  will 
are  willing  to  go  out  to  the  light. 


XXIX. 
Conversion  of  All  That  Come. 

"  Turn  Thou  me  and  I  shall  be  turned." 
—Jer.  xxxi.  i8. 

The  elect,  born  again  and  effectually  called,  converts  himself. 
To  remain  unconverted  is  impossible ;  but  he  inclines  his  ear,  he 
turns  his  face  to  the  blessed  God,  he  is  converted  in  the  fullest 
sense  of  the  word. 

In  conversion  the  fact  of  cooperation  on  the  part  of  the  saved 
sinner  assumes  a  clearly  defined  and  perceptible  character.  In  re- 
generation there  was  none ;  in  the  calling  there  was  a  beginning 
of  it;  in  conversion  proper  it  became  a  fact.  When  the  Holy  Spirit 
regenerates  a  man,  it  is  an  "  Effatha,"  i.e..  He  opens  the  ear.  When 
He  effectually  calls  him.  He  speaks  into  that  opened  ear,  which 
cooperates  by  receiving  the  sound,  that  is,  by  barkening.  But 
when  the  Holy  Spirit  actually  converts  the  man,  then  the  act  of 
man  coalesces  with  the  act  of  the  Holy  Spirit,  and  it  is  said:  "  Let 
the  wicked  forsake  his  way,  and  let  him  return  unto  the  Lord,  and 
He  will  have  mercy  upon  him  ";  and  in  another  place :  "  The  law  of 
the  Lord  is  perfect,  converting  the  soul." 

It  is  a  remarkable  fact  that  the  Sacred  Scripture  refers  to  con- 
\Qrs\ona.\mosi  one  hundred  and  forty  times  SLshQmg  an  act  of  man,  and 
only  six  times  as  an  act  of  the  Holy  Ghost.  It  is  repeated  again 
and  again :  "Repent  and  turn  to  the  Lord  your  God";  "Turn,  O 
backsliding  children,  saith  the  Lord"  (Jer.  iii.  22);  "Sinners  shall 
return  unto  Thee"  (Psalm  li.  13,  Dutch  Version);  "Repent  and  do 
thy  first  works"  (Rev.  ii.  5).  But  conversion  as  an  act  of  the  Holy 
Spirit  is  spoken  of  only  in  Psalm  xix.  8,  "  The  law  of  the  Lord  is  per- 
fect, converting  the  soul"  ;  in  Jer.  xxxi.  18,  "Turn  Thou  me  and  I 
shall  be  turned";  in  Acts  xi.  18.  "That  God  also  to  the  Gentiles 
granted  repentance  unto  life  " ;  Rom.  ii.  4,  "  That  the  goodness  of 
God  leadeth  thee  to  repentance";  in  2  Tim.  ii.  25,  "  If  God  peradven- 
ture  will  ^/zr  them  repentance";  in  Heb.  vi.  6,  "  That  it  is  impossi- 
ble to  renew  such  (as  fall  away)  to  repentance." 


350  CALLING   AND   REPENTANCE 

This  fact  should  be  carefully  considered.  When  Scripture  pre- 
sents conversion  as  the  Spirit's  act  but  six  times,  and  as  man's  act  one 
hundred  and  forty  times,  in  preaching  the  same  proportion  should 
be  observed.  And,  therefore,  the  preachers  who,  when  preaching 
on  conversion,  treat  it  almost  invariably  in  its  passive  aspect  and 
in  the  abstract;  who  apparently  lack  the  courage  and  boldness  to 
declare  to  their  hearers  that  it  is  their  duty  to  convert  themselves 
unto  God,  seriously  err.  It  has  a  very  pious  look,  but  it  is  against 
the  Scripture.  And  yet  it  is  perfectly  natural  that  one  should  hesi- 
tate to  say,  "  You  must  convert  yourself"  so  long  as  regeneration 
and  conversion  are  still  confounded.  For  then  the  declaration, 
"  You  must  convert  yourself,"  ignores  the  sovereignty  of  God,  and 
implies  that  a  dead  sinner  is  still  able  to  do  something  of  himself. 
And  this  is  the  reason  why  the  preachers  who  will  not  surrender 
the  sovereignty  of  God,  and  who  will  not  deduct  anything  from  the 
deadness  of  the  sinner,  are  afraid  "to  speak  to  deaf  ears."  Hence 
they /ray  for  the  conversion  of  the  hearers,  but  dare  not  in  the 
Name  of  the  Lord  demand  \t  of  them. 

And  nothing  may  be  deducted  either  from  the  divine  sovereign- 
ty or  from  the  sinner's  deadness.  Every  demand  for  conversion 
which  has  such  tendency  is  Pelagianism,  and  must  be  rejected. 
But  if  the  teaching  of  the  Reformed  Church  in  this  respect  be 
thoroughly  understood,  the  whole  difficulty  disappears. 

It  should  be  noticed,  however,  that  Scripture,  speaking  of  con- 
version, does  not  always  imply  that  it  is  saving  conversion.  The 
real  work  of  salvation  is  always  accompanied  on  its  way  by  a  phan- 
tom. Alongside  of  saving  faith  goes  temporal  faith ;  alongside  of 
the  effectual  call,  the  ordinary  call ;  and  alongside  of  saving  conver- 
sion, ordinary  conversion. 

Conversion  in  its  saving  sense  occurs  but  once  in  a  man's  life, 
and  this  act  can  never  be  repeated.  Once  having  passed  from 
death  unto  life,  he  is  alive  and  will  never  return  unto  death.  Per- 
dition is  not  a  stream  spanned  by  many  bridges ;  nor  does  the  saint, 
tossed  between  endless  hopes  and  fears,  cross  the  bridge  leading  to 
life,  by  and  by  to  return  by  another  to  the  shores  of  death.  No; 
there  is  but  one  bridge,  which  can  be  crossed  but  once ;  and  he  that 
has  crossed  it  is  kept  by  the  power  of  God  from  going  back.  Tho 
all  powers  should  combine  to  draw  him  back,  God  is  stronger  than 
all,  and  no  one  shall  pluck  him  out  of  His  hand. 

We  state  this  as  distinctly  and  forcibly  as  possible,  for  at  this 


CONVERSION    OF    ALL   THAT    COME         351 

point  souls  are  often  led  astray.  It  is  heard  repeatedly  these  days. 
"  Your  conversion  is  not  a  momentary  act,  but  an  act  of  life  which 
repeats  itself  constantly :  and  wo  to  the  man  who  fails  for  a  single 
day  to  be  converted  anew."  And  this  is  altogether  wrong.  Lan- 
guage should  not  be  so  confounded.  Tho  the  child  grows  for  twenty 
years  after  he  is  born,  and  before  he  attains  maturity,  yet  he  is  born 
but  once,  and  neither  conception  r\ov  pregnancy  before  it,  not  growth 
after  it,  is  called  "  birth." 

The  fixed  boundary  should  be  respected  also  in  this  instance.  It 
is  true  that  conversion  is  preceded  by  something  else,  but  that  is 
called  not  "  conversion,"  but  "  regeneration"  and  "  calling";  and  so 
there  is  something  following  "  conversion," but  that  is  called  "  sanc- 
tification."  No  doubt  the  word  "  conversion"  may  also  be  applied 
to  the  return  of  the  converted  but  backslidden  child  of  God,  after 
the  example  of  Scripture ;  but  then  it  refers  not  to  the  saving 
act  of  conversion,  but  to  the  continuance  of  the  work  once  be- 
gun, or  to  a  return  not  from  death,  but  from  a  temporary  going 
astray. 

In  order  to  discriminate  correctly  in  this  matter,  it  is  necessary 
to  notice  the  four/old  use  of  the  word  conversion  in  the  Scripture. 

1.  "Conversion,"  in  its  widest  scope,  signifies  a  forsaking  of 
wickedness  and  a  disposition  to  morality.  In  this  sense  it  is  said 
of  the  Ninevites  that  God  saw  their  works,  that  they  turned  from 
their  evil  works.  This  does  not  imply,  however,  that  all  these 
Ninevites  belonged  to  the  elect,  and  that  every  one  of  them  was 
saved. 

2.  "  Conversion,"  in  its  limited  sense,  signifies  saving  conver- 
sion, as  in  Isa.  Iv.  7 :  "  Let  the  wicked  forsake  his  way,  and  the 
unrighteous  man  his  thoughts,  and  let  him  return  unto  the  Lord, 
and  He  will  have  mercy  upon  him,  and  to  our  God,  for  He  will 
abundantly  pardon." 

3.  And  again,  "  conversion  "  signifies  that,  even  after  it  has  be- 
come a  fact  in  our  hearts,  its  principles  must  be  applied  to  every 
relation  of  our  life.  A  converted  person  may  for  a  long  time  con- 
tinue to  indulge  in  bad  habits  and  ungodly  practises,  but  gradually 
his  eyes  are  opened  for  the  evil,  and  then  he  repents  and  forsakes 
the  one  after  the  other.  So  we  read  in  Ezek.  xviii.  30:  "Repent 
and  turn  yourselves  from  a/i  your  transgressions." 

4.  Lastly,  "conversion"  signifies  the  return  of  converted  per- 
sons to  their  first  love,  after  a  season  of  coldness  and  weakness  in 


352  CALLING   AND    REPENTANCE 

the  faith,  e.g.  :  "  Remember,  therefore,  from  whence  thou  art  fallen, 
and  repent  and  do  thy  first  works"  (Rev.  ii.  5). 

But  in  this  connection  we  speak  of  saving  conversion,  of  which 
we  make  the  following  remarks : 

First — It  is  not  the  spontaneous  act  of  the  regenerate.  Without 
the  Holy  Spirit  conversion  would  not  follow  regeneration.  Even 
tho  called,  he  could  not  come  of  himself.  Hence  it  is  of  primary 
importance  to  acknowledge  the  Holy  Spirit,  and  to  honor  His  work 
as  the  first  cause  of  conversion  as  well  as  of  regeneration  and  call- 
ing. As  no  one  can  pray  as  he  ought  unless  the  Holy  Spirit  prays 
in  him  with  groans  that  can  not  be  uttered,  so  no  regenerate  and 
called  person  can  convert  himself  as  he  ought  unless  the  Holy 
Spirit  begin  and  continue  the  work  in  him.  The  redemptive  work 
is  not  like  the  growing  plant,  increasing  of  itself.  Nay,  if  the  saint 
is  a  temple  of  God,  the  Holy  Spirit  dwells  in  him.  And  this  in- 
dwelling indicates  that  everything  accomplished  by  the  saint  is 
wrought  in  him  in  communion  with,  by  the  incitement  and 
through  the  animation  of  the  Holy  Spirit.  The  implanted  life  is 
not  an  isolated  germ  left  to  root  in  the  soul  without  the  Holy  Spirit 
and  the  Mediator,  but  it  is  carried,  kept,  bedewed,  and  fostered 
from  moment  to  moment  out  of  Christ  by  the  Holy  Spirit.  As  men 
can  not  speak  without  air  and  the  operation  of  Providence  vitali- 
zing the  organs  of  respiration  and  articulation,  so  it  is  impossible 
that  the  regenerated  man  can  live  and  speak  and  act  from  the  new 
life  without  being  supported,  incited,  and  animated  by  the  Holy 
Spirit. 

Hence  when  the  Holy  Spirit  calls  that  man  and  he  turns  him- 
self, then  there  is  not  the  slightest  part  in  this  act  of  the  will  which 
is  not  supported,  incited,  and  animated  by  the  Holy  Spirit. 

Second — This  saving  conversion  is  also  the  conscious  and  volun- 
tary choice  and  act  of  the  person  bom  again  and  called.  While  the 
air  and  impulse  to  speak  must  come  from  without,  and  my  organs 
of  speech  must  be  supported  by  the  providence  of  God,  yet  it  is  J 
who  speak.  And  in  much  stronger  sense  does  the  Holy  Spirit  in 
conversion  work  upon  the  wheels  and  springs  of  man's  regene- 
rated personality,  so  that  all  His  operations  must  pass  through 
man's  ego. 

Many  of  His  operations  do  not  aflfect  the  ego,  as  in  Balaam's 
case.     But  not  so  in  conversion.     Then  the  Holy  Spirit  works  only 


CONVERSION  OF  ALL  THAT  COME    353 

through  us.     Whatever  He  wills  He  brings  into  our  will ;  He  causes 
ail  His  actions  to  be  effected  through  the  organism  of  our  being. 

Hence  man  must  be  commanded,  "  Convert  thyself."  The  teach- 
er bids  the  pupil  speak,  altho  he  knows  that  the  child  can  not  do  so 
unaided  by  Providence.  In  the  new  life  the  ego  depends  upon  the 
Holy  Spirit  who  dwells  and  works  in  him.  But  in  conversion  he 
knows  nothing  of  this  indwelling,  nor  that  he  is  born  again ;  and  it 
would  be  useless  to  speak  to  him  about  it.  He  must  be  told,  "  Con- 
vert thyself."  If  the  Spirit's  action  accompanies  that  word,  the 
man  will  convert  himself;  if  not,  he  will  continue  unconverted. 
But  tho  he  convert  himself,  he  will  not  boast,  I  have  done  this  my- 
self, but  bow  down  in  thankfulness  and  glorify  that  divine  work  by 
which  he  was  co7iverted. 

In  these  two  we  find  the  evidence  of  genuine  conversion :  first, 
the  man  bidden,  converts  himself,  and  then  he  gratefully  gives 
glory  to  the  Holy  Spirit  alone.  Not  that  we  fear  a  man's  conver- 
sion will  be  hindered  by  some  one's  neglect.  In  all  the  work  of 
God's  grace  His  Almightiness  sweeps  away  everything  that  resists, 
so  that  all  opposition  melts  away  like  wax,  and  every  mountain  of 
pride  flees  from  His  presence.  Neither  slothfulness  nor  neglect 
can  ever  hinder  an  elect  person  from  passing  from  death  into  life 
at  the  appointed  time. 

But  there  is  a  responsibility  for  the  preacher,  for  the  pastor,  for 
parents  and  guardians.  To  be  free  from  a  man's  blood,  we  must 
tell  every  man  that  conversion  is  his  urgent  duty  ;  and  to  be  without 
excuse  before  God,  after  his  conversion,  we  must  give  thanks  to  God, 
who  alone  has  accomplished  it  in  and  through  His  creature. 
23 


stjtb  Cbaptcr. 
JUSTIFICATION. 

XXX. 
Justification. 

•'  Being  justified  freely  by  His  grace, 
through  the  redemption  that  is  in 
Christ  Jesus." — Rom.  iii.  24. 

The  Heidelberg  Catechism  teaches  that  true  conversion  con- 
sists of  these  two  parts :  the  dying  of  the  old  man,  and  the  rising 
again  of  the  new.  This  last  should  be  noticed.  The  Catechism 
says  not  that  the  new  life  originates  in  conversion,  but  that  it 
arises  in  conversion.  That  which  arises  must  exist  before.  Else 
how  could  it  arise?  This  agrees  with  our  statement  that  regenera- 
tion precedes  conversion,  and  that  by  the  effectual  calling  the  new- 
born child  of  God  is  brought  to  conversion. 

We  now  proceed  to  consider  a  matter  which,  tho  belonging  to 
the  same  subject  and  running  parallel  with  it,  yet  moves  along  an 
entirely  different  line,  viz.,  Justification. 

In  the  Sacred  Scripture,  justification  occupies  the  most  conspic- 
uous place,  and  is  presented  as  of  greatest  importance  for  the  sin- 
ner :  "  For  all  have  sinned,  and  come  short  of  the  glory  of  God ; 
being  justified  freely  by  His  grace,  through  the  redemption  that 
is  in  Christ  Jesus"  (Rom.  iii.  24).  "Therefore,  hemg  justified 
by  faith,  we  have  peace  with  God  through  our  Lord  Jesus  Christ" 
(Rom.  V.  I) ;  "  Who  was  delivered  for  our  offenses  and  raised  again 
for  our  Justification"  (Rom.  iv.  25);  "  Who  of  God  is  made  unto  us 
from  God,  wisdom  and  righteousness  and  sanctification  and  redemp- 
tion" (i  Cor.  i.  30). 

And  not  only  is  this  so  strongly  emphasized  by  Scripture,  but  it 
was  also  the  very  kernel  of  the  Reformation,  which  puts  this  doc- 


JUSTIFICATION  355 

trine  of  "  justification  by  faith  "  boldly  and  clearly  in  opposition  to 
the  "  meritorious  works  of  Rome."  "  Justification  by  faith"  was  in 
those  days  the  shibboleth  of  the  heroes  of  faith,  Martin  Luther  in 
the  van. 

And  when,  in  the  present  century,  a  self-wrought  sanctification 
presented  itself  again,  as  the  actual  power  of  redemption,  it  was 
the  not  insignificant  merit  of  Kohlbrugge,  that  he,  tho  less  compre- 
hensively than  the  reformers,  fastened  this  matter  of  justification, 
with  penetrating  earnestness,  upon  the  conscience  of  Christendom. 
It  may  have  been  superfluous  for  the  churches  still  truly  Reformed, 
but  it  was  exceedingly  opportune  for  the  circles  where  the  garland 
of  truth  was  less  closely  woven,  and  the  sense  of  justice  had  been 
allowed  to  become  weak,  as  partially  in  our  own  country,  but  espe- 
cially beyond  our  borders.  There  are  in  Switzerland  and  in  Bohe- 
mia groups  of  men  who  have  heard,  for  the  first  time,  of  the  neces- 
sity of  justification  by  faith,  through  the  labors  of  Kohlbrugge. 

Through  the  grace  of  God,  our  people  did  not  go  so  far  astray ; 
and  where  the  Ethicals,  largely  from  principle,  surrendered  this 
point  of  doctrine,  the  Reformed  did  and  do  oppose  them,  admon- 
ishing them  with  all  energy,  and  as  often  as  possible,  not  to  merge 
justification  in  sanctification. 

Regarding  the  question,  how  justification  differs,  on  the  one 
hand,  from  "  regeneration,"  and,  on  the  other,  from  "  calling  and 
conversion,"  we  answer  that  justification  emphasizes  the  idea  of 
right. 

Right  regulates  the  relations  between  two  persons.  Where 
there  is  but  one  there  is  no  right,  simply  because  there  are  no  rela- 
tions to  regulate.  Hence  by  right  we  understand  either  the  right 
of  man  in  relation  to  man,  or  the  claim  of  God  upon  man.  It  is  in 
this  last  sense  that  we  use  the  word  right. 

The  Lord  is  our  Lawgiver,  our  Judge,  our  King.  Hence  He  is 
absolutely  Sovereign :  as  Lawgiver  determining  what  is  right;  as 
Judge  judging  our  being  and  doing;  as  King  dispensing  rewards 
and  punishments.  This  sheds  light  upon  the  difference  between 
justification  and  regeneration.  The  new  birth  and  the  call  and 
conversion  have  to  do  with  our  being  as  sinners  or  as  regenerate 
men;  but  justification  with  the  relation  which  we  sustain  to  God, 
either  as  sinners  or  as  those  born  again. 

Apart  from  the  question  of  right,  the  sinner  may  be  considered 


356  JUSTIFICATION 

as  a  sick  person,  who  is  infected  and  inoculated  with  disease. 
After  being  bom  again  he  improves,  the  infection  disappears,  the 
corruption  ceases,  and  he  prospers  again.  But  this  concerns  his 
person  alone,  how  he  is,  and  what  his  prospects  are ;  it  does  not 
touch  the  question  of  right. 

The  question  of  right  arises  when  I  see  in  the  sinner  a  creature 
not  his  own,  but  belonging  to  another. 

Herein  is  all  the  difference.  If  man  is  to  me  the  principal  fac- 
tor, so  that  I  have  nothing  else  in  view  but  his  improvement  and 
deliverance  from  misery,  then  the  Almighty  God  is  in  this  whole 
matter  a  mere  Physician,  called  in  and  affording  assistance,  who 
receives  His  fee,  and  is  discharged  with  many  thanks.  The 
question  of  right  does  not  enter  here  at  all.  So  long  as  the 
sinner  is  made  more  holy,  all  is  well.  Of  course,  if  he  is  made 
perfect,  all  the  better.  Clearly  understanding,  however,  that  man 
belongs  not  to  himself,  but  to  another,  the  matter  assumes  an  en- 
tirely different  aspect.  For  then  he  can  not  be  or  do  as  he  pleases, 
but  another  has  determined  what  he  must  be  and  what  he  must 
do.  And  if  he  does  or  is  otherwise,  he  is  guilty  as  a  transgressor: 
guilty  because  he  rebelled,  guilty  because  he  transgressed. 

Hence  when  I  believe  in  the  divine  sovereignty,  the  sinner 
appears  to  me  in  an  entirely  different  aspect.  As  infected  and 
mortally  ill,  he  is  to  be  pitied  and  kindly  treated;  but  considered 
as  belonging  to  God,  standing  under  God,  and  as  having  robbed 
God,  that  same  sinner  becomes  a  guilty  transgressor. 

This  is  true  to  some  extent  of  animals.  When  I  lasso  a  wild 
horse  on  the  American  prairies  for  training,  it  never  enters  my 
mind  to  punish  him  for  his  wildness.  But  the  runaway  in  the  city 
streets  must  be  punished.  He  is  vicious;  he  threw  his  rider;  he 
refused  to  be  led  and  chose  his  own  way.  Hence  he  needs  to 
be  punished. 

And  man  much  more  so.  When  I  meet  him  in  his  wild  career 
of  sin,  I  know  that  he  is  a  rebel,  that  he  broke  the  reins,  threw  his 
rider,  and  now  dashes  on  in  mad  revolt.  Hence  such  sinner  must 
be  not  only  healed,  but  punished.  He  does  not  need  medical  treat- 
ment alone,  but  before  all  things  he  n^Qdis  juridical  treatment. 

Apart  from  his  disease  a  sinner  has  done  evil ;  there  is  no  virtue 
in  him;  he  has  violated  the  right;  he  deserves  punishment.  Sup- 
pose, for  a  moment,  that  sin  had  not  touched  his  person,  had  not 
corrupted  him,  had  left  him  intact  as  a  man,  then  there  would  have 


JUSTIFICATION  357 

been  no  need  of  regeneration,  of  healing,  of  a  rising  again,  of  sanc- 
tification;  nevertheless  he  would  have  been  subject  to  the  ven- 
geance of  justice. 

Hence  man's  case  in  relation  to  his  God  must  be  considered 
juridically.  Be  not  afraid  of  that  word,  brother.  Rather  insist 
that  it  be  pronounced  with  as  strong  an  emphasis  as  possible.  It 
must  be  emphasized,  and  all  the  more  strongly,  because  for  so 
many  years  it  has  been  scorned,  and  the  churches  have  been  made 
to  believe  that  this  "juridical"  aspect  of  the  case  was  of  no  impor- 
tance ;  that  it  was  a  representation  really  unworthy  of  God ;  that 
the  principal  thing  was  to  bring  forth  fruit  meet  for  repentance. 

Beautiful  teaching,  gradually  pushed  into  the  world  from  the 
closet  of  philosophy :  teaching  that  declares  that  morality  included 
the  right  and  stood  far  above  the  right;  that  "  right"  was  chiefly  a 
notion  of  the  life  of  less  civilized  ages  and  of  crude  persons,  but  of 
no  importance  to  our  ideal  age  and  to  the  ideal  development  of 
humanity  and  of  individuals;  yea,  that  in  some  respects  it  is  even 
objectionable,  and  should  never  be  allowed  to  enter  into  that  holy 
and  high  and  tender  relation  that  exists  between  God  and  man. 

The  fruit  of  this  pestilential  philosophy  is,  that  now  in  Europe 
the  sense  of  right  is  gradually  dying  of  slow  consumption.  Among 
the  Asiatic  nations  this  sense  of  right  has  greater  vitality  than 
among  us.  Might  is  again  greater  than  right.  Right  is  again  the 
right  of  the  strongest.  And  the  luxurious  circles,  who  in  their 
atony  of  spirit  at  first  protested  against  the  "juridical"  in  theology, 
discover  now  with  terror  that  certain  classes  in  society  are  losing 
more  and  more  respect  for  the  "juridical"  in  the  question  of  prop- 
erty. Even  in  regard  to  the  possession  of  land  and  house,  and  treas- 
ure and  fields,  this  new  conception  of  life  considers  the  "  juridical" 
a  less  noble  idea.  Bitter  satire!  You  who,  in  your  wantonness, 
started  the  mockery  of  the  "  juridical "  in  connection  with  God,  find 
your  punishment  now  in  the  fact  that  the  lower  classes  start  the 
mockery  of  this  "  juridical "  in  connection  with  your  money  and 
your  goods.  Yea,  more  than  this.  When  recently  in  Paris  a  wom- 
an was  tried  for  having  shot  and  killed  a  man  in  court,  not  only  did 
the  jury  acquit  her,  but  she  was  made  the  heroine  of  an  ovation. 
Here  also  other  motives  were  deemed  more  precious,  and  the  "  ju- 
ridical "  aspect  had  nothing  to  do  with  it. 

And,  therefore,  in  the  name  of  God  and  of  the  right  which  He 


3S8  JUSTIFICATION 

has  ordained,  we  urgently  request  that  every  minister  of  the  Word, 
and  every  man  in  his  place,  help  and  labor,  with  clear  conscious- 
ness and  energy,  to  stop  this  dissolution  of  the  right,  with  all  the 
means  at  their  disposal;  and  especially  solemnly  and  effectually  to 
restore  to  its  own  conspicuous  place  the  juridical  feature  of  the  sin- 
ner's relation  to  his  God.  When  this  is  done,  we  shall  feel  again 
the  stimulus  that  will  cause  the  soul's  relaxed  muscles  to  con- 
tract, rousing  us  from  our  semi-unconsciousness.  Every  man,  and 
especially  every  member  of  the  Church,  must  again  realize  his  jurid- 
ical relation  to  God  now  and  forever;  that  he  is  not  merely  man  or 
woman,  but  a  creature  belonging  to  God,  absolutely  controlled  by 
God;  and  guilty  and  punishable  when  not  acting  according  to  the 
will  of  God. 

This  being  clearly  understood,  it  is  evident  that  regeneration 
and  calling  and  conversion,  yea,  even  complete  reformation  and 
sanctification,  can  not  be  sufficient;  for,  altho  these  are  very  glori- 
ous, and  deliver  you  from  sin's  stain  and  pollution,  and  help  you 
not  to  violate  the  law  so  frequently,  yet  they  do  not  touch  your 
juridical  relation  to  God. 

When  a  mutinous  battalion  gets  into  serious  straits,  and  the 
general,  hearing  of  it,  delivers  them  at  the  cost  of  ten  killed  and 
twenty  wounded,  who  had  not  mutinied,  and  brings  them  back  and 
feeds  them,  do  you  think  that  that  will  be  all?  Do  you  not  see 
that  such  battalion  is  still  liable  to  punishment  with  decimation? 
And  when  man  mutinied  against  his  God,  and  got  himself  into 
trouble  and  nearly  perished  with  misery,  and  the  Lord  God  sent 
him  help  to  save  him,  and  called  him  back,  and  he  returned,  can 
that  be  the  end  of  it?  Do  you  not  clearly  see  that  he  is  still  liable 
to  severe  punishment?  In  case  of  a  burglar  who  robs  and  kills,  but 
in  making  his  escape  breaks  his  leg,  and  is  sent  to  the  hospital 
where  he  is  treated,  and  then  goes  out  a  cripple  unable  to  repeat 
his  crime,  do  you  think  that  the  judge  would  give  him  his  liberty, 
saying:  "He  is  healed  now  and  will  never  do  it  again"?  No;  he 
will  be  tried,  convicted,  and  incarcerated.  Even  so  here.  Because 
by  our  sins  and  transgressions  we  have  wounded  ourselves,  and 
made  ourselves  wretched,  and  are  in  need  of  medical  help,  is  out 
guilt  forgotten  for  this  reason? 

Why,  then,  are  such  undermining  ideas  brought  among  the 
people?  Why  is  it  that  under  the  appearance  of  love  a  sentimental 
Christianity  is  introduced  about  the  "  dear  Jesus,"  and  "  that  we  are 


JUSTIFICATION  359 

so  sick,'  and  "  the  Physician  is  passing  by,"  and  that  "  it  is,  oh!  so 
glorious  to  be  in  fellowship  with  that  holy  Mediator"  ? 

Are  our  people  really  ignorant  of  the  fact  that  this  whole  repre- 
sentation stands  diametrically  opposed  to  Sacred  Scripture — opposed 
to  all  that  ever  animated  the  Church  of  Christ  and  made  it  strong? 
Do  they  not  feel  that  such  a  feeble  and  spongy  Christianity  is  a 
clay  too  soft  for  the  making  of  heroes  in  the  Kingdom  of  God? 
And  do  they  not  see  that  the  number  of  men  who  are  drawn  to  the 
"  dear  Jesus"  is  much  smaller  now  than  that  of  the  men  who  for- 
merly were  drawn  to  the  Mediator  of  the  right,  who  with  His  pre- 
cious blood  hath  fully  satisfied  for  all  our  sins? 

And  when  it  is  answered,  "  That  is  just  what  we  teach ;  recon- 
ciliation in  His  blood,  redemption  through  His  death!  It  is  all 
paid  for  us!  Only  come  and  hear  our  preaching  and  sing  our 
hymns!"  then  we  beseech  the  brethren  who  thus  speak  to  be  seri- 
ous for  a  moment.  For,  behold,  our  objection  is  not  that  you  deny 
the  reconciliation  through  His  blood,  but  that,  by  being  silent  on 
the  question  of  God's  right,  and  of  our  state  of  condemnation,  and 
by  being  satisfied  when  the  people  "  only  come  to  Jesus,"  you  allow 
the  consciousness  of  guilt  to  wear  out,  you  make  genuine  repentance 
impossible,  you  substitute  a  certain  discontent  with  oneself  for 
brokenness  of  heart ;  and  thus  you  weaken  the  faculty  to  feel,  to  un- 
derstand, and  to  realize  what  the  meaning  is  of  reconciliation 
through  the  blood  of  the  cross. 

It  is  quite  possible  to  bring  about  reconciliation  without  touch- 
ing the  question  of  the  right  at  all.  By  some  misunderstanding 
two  friends  have  become  estranged,  separated  from,  and  hostile  to 
each  other.  But  they  may  be  reconciled.  Not  necessarily  by  ma- 
king one  to  see  that  he  violated  the  rights  of  the  other;  this  was 
perhaps  never  intended.  And  even  if  there  was  some  right  viola- 
ted, it  would  not  be  expedient  to  speak  of  the  past,  but  to  cover  it 
with  the  mantle  of  love  and  to  look  only  to  the  future.  And  such 
reconciliation,  if  successful,  is  very  delightful,  and  may  have  cost 
both  the  reconciled  and  the  reconciler  much  of  conflict  and  sacri- 
fice, yea,  prayers  and  tears.  And  yet,  with  all  this,  such  reconcil- 
iation does  not  touch  the  question  of  right. 

In  this  way  it  appears  to  us  these  brethren  preach  reconcilia- 
tion. It  is  true  that  they  preach  it  with  much  warmth  and  anima- 
tion even;  but— and  this  is  our  complaint — they  consider  and  pre- 
sent it  as  an  enmity  caused  by  whispering,  misunderstanding,  and 


36o  JUSTIFICATION 

wrong  inclination,  rather  than  by  violation  of  the  right.  And,  in  con- 
sequence, their  preaching  of  reconciliation  through  the  blood  of  the 
cross  no  longer  causes  the  deep  chord  of  the  right  to  vibrate  in 
men's  souls;  but  it  resembles  the  reconciliation  of  two  friends,  who 
at  an  evil  hour  became  estranged  from  each  other. 


XXXI. 
Our  Status. 

"  And  he  believed  in  the  Lord  :  and  he 
counted  it  to  him  for  righteousness." 
— Gen.  XV.  6. 

The  right  touches  a  man's  status.  So  long  as  the  law  has  not 
proven  him  guilty,  has  not  convicted  and  sentenced  him,  his  legal 
status  is  that  of  a  free  and  law-abiding  citizen.  But  as  soon  as  his 
guilt  is  proven  in  court  and  the  jury  has  convicted  him,  he  passes 
from  that  into  the  status  of  the  bound  and  law-breaking  citizen. 

The  same  applies  to  our  relation  to  God.  Our  status  before  God 
is  that  either  of  the  just  or  of  the  unjust.  In  the  former,  we  are 
not  condemned  or  we  are  released  from  condemnation.  He  that  is 
still  under  condemnation  occupies  the  status  of  the  unjust. 

Hence,  and  this  is  noteworthy,  a  man's  status  depends  not  upon 
what  he  is,  but  upon  the  decision  of  the  proper  authorities  regard- 
ing him;  not  upon  what  he  is  actually,  but  upon  what  he  is  counted 
to  be. 

A  clerk  in  an  office  is  innocently  suspected  of  embezzlement, 
and  accused  before  a  court  of  law.  He  pleads  not  guilty ;  but  the 
suspicions  against  him  carry  conviction,  and  the  judge  condemns 
him.  Now,  tho  he  did  not  embezzle,  is  actually  innocent,  he  is 
counted  guilty.  And  since  a  man  does  not  determine  his  own 
status,  but  his  sovereign  or  judge  determines  it  for  him,  the  status 
of  this  clerk,  altho  innocent,  is,  from  the  moment  of  his  conviction, 
that  of  a  law-breaker.  And  the  contrary  may  occur  just  as  well. 
In  the  absence  of  convicting  evidence  the  judge  may  acquit  a  dis- 
honest clerk,  who,  altho  guilty  and  a  law-breaker,  still  retains  his 
status  of  a  law-abiding  and  honest  citizen.  In  this  case  he  is  dis- 
honorable, but  he  is  counted  honorable.  Hence  a  man's  status  de- 
pends not  upon  what  he  actually  is,  but  what  he  is  counted  \.o  be. 

The  reason  is,  that  man's  status  has  no  reference  to  his  inward 
being,  but  only  to  the  manner  in  which  he  is  to  be  treated.  It  would 
be  useless  to  determine  this  himself,  for  his  fellow  citizens  would 


362  JUSTIFICATION 

not  receive  it.  Tho  he  asserted  a  hundred  times,  "  I  am  an  honor- 
able citizen,"  they  would  pay  no  attention  to  it.  But  if  the  judge 
declares  him  honorable,  and  then  they  should  dare  to  call  him  dis- 
honorable, there  would  be  a  power  to  maintain  his  status  against 
those  who  attack  him.  Hence  a  man's  own  declaration  can  not 
obtain  him  a  legal  status.  He  may  fancy  or  assume  a  status  of 
righteousness,  but  it  has  no  stability,  it  is  no  status. 

This  explains  why,  in  our  own  good  land,  a  man's  legal  status 
as  a  citizen  is  determined  not  by  himself,  but  solely  by  the  king, 
either  as  sovereign  or  as  judge.  The  king  is  judge,  for  all  judg- 
ment is  pronounced  in  his  name ;  and,  altho  the  judiciary  can  not 
be  denied  a  certain  authority  independent  of  the  executive,  yet  in 
every  sentence  it  is  the  king's  judicature  which  pronounces  judg- 
ment. Hence  a  man's  status  depends  solely  upon  the  king's  de- 
cision. Now  the  king  has  decided,  once  for  all,  that  every  citizen 
never  convicted  of  crime  is  counted  honorable.  Not  because  all 
are  honorable,  but  that  they  shall  be  counted  as  such.  Hence  so 
long  as  a  man  was  never  sentenced,  he  passes  for  honorable,  even 
tho  he  is  not.  And  as  soon  as  he  is  sentenced,  he  is  considered 
dishonorable,  tho  he  is  perfectly  honorable.  And  thus  his  status  is 
detertnined  by  his  king;  and  in  it  he  is  accounted  not  according  to 
what  he  is,  but  what  his  king  counts  him  to  be.  Even  without  the 
judiciary,  it  is  the  king  who  determines  a  man's  state  in  society, 
not  according  to  what  he  is,  but  what  the  king  counts  him  to  be. 

A  person's  sex  is  determined  not  by  his  condition,  but  by  what 
the  registrar  of  vital  statistics  in  his  register  has  declared  him  to  be. 
If  by  some  mistake  a  girl  were  registered  as  a  boy,  and  therefore 
counted  as  a  boy,  then  at  the  proper  time  she  would  be  summoned 
to  serve  in  the  militia,  unless  the  mistake  were  corrected,  and  she 
be  counted  to  be  what  she  is.  It  may  be  a.  pretended,  and  not  the 
real,  child  of  the  rich  nobleman  in  whose  name  it  is  registered. 
And  yet  it  makes  no  difference  whose  child  it  really  is,  for  the  state 
will  support  it  in  all  its  rights  of  inheritance,  because  it  passes  for 
the  child  of  that  nobleman,  and  is  counted  to  be  his  legitimate  child. 

Hence  it  is  the  rule  in  society  that  a  man's  status  is  determined 
not  by  his  actual  condition,  nor  by  his  own  declaration,  but  by 
the  sovereign  under  whom  he  stands.  And  this  sovereign  has  the 
power,  by  his  decision,  to  assign  to  a  man  the  status  to  which,  ac- 
cording to  his  condition,  he  belongs,  or  to  put  him  in  a  status  where 
he  does  not  belong,  but  to  which  he  is  accounted  to  belong. 


OUR   STATUS  363 

This  is  the  case  even  in  matters  where  mistakes  are  out  of  the 
question.  At  the  time  of  the  king's  death  and  of  the  pregnancy  of 
his  widow,  a  prince  or  princess  is  counted  to  exist,  even  before  he 
or  she  is  born.  And,  accordingly,  while  the  child  is  still  a  nursing 
babe,  it  is  counted  to  be  the  owner  of  large  possessions,  even  tho 
these  possessions  may  be  entirely  lost,  before  the  child  can  hear 
of  them.  And  so  there  are  a  number  of  cases  where  standing  and 
condition,  without  anybody's  fault  or  mistake,  are  entirely  different; 
simply  because  it  is  possible  that  a  man  be  in  a  state  into  which  he 
has  not  yet  grown. 

The  king  alone  can  determine  his  own  status ;  if  it  pleases  him 
to  register  to-morrow  incognito,  as  a  count  or  a  baron,  he  will  be 
relieved  from  the  usual  royal  honors. 

We  have  elaborated  this  point  more  largely,  because  the  Ethi- 
cals  and  the  Mystics  have  got  our  poor  people  so  bitterly  out  of  the 
habit  of  reckoning  with  this  counting  of  God.  The  word  of  Scrip- 
ture, "  Abraham  believed,  and  it  was  counted  to  him  for  righteous- 
ness," is  no  longer  understood ;  or  it  is  made  to  refer  to  the  merit  of 
faith,  which  is  Arminian  doctrine. 

The  Holy  Spirit  often  speaks  of  this  counting  of  God :  "  I  am 
counted -with,  them  that  go  down  into  the  pit";  "The  Lord  shall 
count  them  when  He  writeth  up  the  peoples  "  ;  "  And  it  was  counted 
unto  Phineas  for  righteousness  unto  all  generations,  forever- 
more."  So  it  is  said  of  Jesus,  that  "  He  was  counted  [numbered] 
with  the  transgressors "  ;  of  Judas  that  "  he  was  counted  with  the 
eleven "  ;  of  the  i^^circumcision  which  keeps  the  law,  that  "  it 
shall  be  counted  unto  him  for  circumcision "  ;  of  Abraham  that 
"his  faith  was  counted  unto  him  for  righteousness";  of  him  "that 
worketh  not,  but  believeth  on  Him  that  justifieth  the  ungodly," 
that  "  his  faith  is  counted  unto  him  for  righteousness " ;  and  of  the 
children  of  the  promise  that  "  they  are  counted  iov  the  seed." 

It  is  this  very  counting  that  appears  to  the  children  of  this  present 
age  so  incomprehensible  and  problematic.  They  will  not  hear  of 
it.  And,  as  Rome  at  one  time  severed  the  tendon  of  the  Gospel, 
by  merging  justification  in  sanctification,  mixing  and  identifying 
the  two,  so  do  people  now  refuse  to  listen  to  anything  but  an  Ethi- 
cal justification,  which  is  actually  only  a  species  of  sanctification. 
Hence  God's  counting  counts  for  nothing.  It  is  not  heeded.  It 
has  no  worth  nor  significance  attached  to  it.     The  only  question  is 


364  JUSTIFICATION 

what  a  man  is.     The  measure  of  worth  is  nothing  else  but  the  worth 
of  OMXX  personality. 

And  this  we  oppose  most  emphatically.  It  is  a  denial  of  justifi- 
cation in  toto  J  and  such  denial  is  essentially  mutiny  and  rebellion 
against  God,  a  withdrawing  of  oneself  from  the  authority  of  one's 
legal  sovereign. 

All  those  who  consider  themselves  saved  because  they  have  holy 
emotions,  or  because  they  think  themselves  less  sinful,  and  profess 
to  make  progress  in  sanctification — all  these,  however  dissimilar 
they  may  be  in  all  other  things,  have  this  in  common,  that  they 
insist  on  being  counted  according  to  their  own  declaration,  and  not 
according  to  what  God  counts  them  to  be.  Instead  of  leaving,  as 
dependent  creatures,  the  honor  of  determining  their  status  to  their 
sovereign  King,  whose  they  are,  they  sit  as  judges  to  determine  it 
themselves,  by  their  own  progress  in  good  works. 

And  not  only  this,  but  they  also  detract  from  the  redemption 
which  is  in  Christ  Jesus,  and  from  the  reality  of  the  guilt  for  which 
He  satisfied.  He  who  maintains  that  God  must  count  a  man  ac- 
cording to  what  he  is,  and  not  according  to  what  God  wills  to  count 
him,  can  never  understand  how  the  Lord  Jesus  could  bear  our  sins, 
and  be  a  "curse  "and  "sin  "for  us.  He  must  interpret  this  sin- 
bearing  in  the  sense  of  a  physical  or  Ethical  fellowship,  and  seek 
for  reconciliation  not  in  the  cross  of  Jesus,  but  in  His  manger,  as 
many  actually  do  in  these  days. 

And  as  they  thus  make  the  actual  bearing  of  our  guilt  by  the 
Mediator  unthinkable,  so  they  make  inherited  guilt  impossible. 

Assuredly,  they  say,  there  is  inherited  stain,  taken  in  a  Mani- 
chean  sense,  but  no  original  guilt.  For  how  could  the  guilt  of  a 
dead  man  be  counted  unto  us?  It  is  evident,  therefore,  that  by  this 
thoughtless  and  bold  denial  of  the  right  of  God,  not  only  is  justifi- 
cation disjointed,  but  the  whole  structure  of  salvation  is  robbed  of 
its  foundation. 

And  why  is  this?  Is  it  because  the  human  consciousness  can 
not  conceive  the  idea  of  being  counted  according  to  what  we  are 
not?  Our  illustrations  from  the  social  life  show  that  men  readily 
understand  and  daily  accept  such  a  relation  in  common  affairs. 
The  deep  cause  of  this  unbelief  lies  in  the  fact  that  man  will  not 
rest  in  God's  judgment  concerning  him,  but  that  he  seeks  for  rest 
in  his  <77f'«  estimate  of  himself ;  that  this  estimate  is  considered  a 
safer  shield  than  God's  judgment  concerning  him ;  and  that,  instead 


OUR   STATUS  365 

of  living  with  the  reformers  by  faith,  he  tries  to  live  by  the  things 
found  in  himself. 

And  from  this  men  must  return.  This  leads  us  back  to  Rome ; 
this  is  to  forsake  justification  by  faith  •  this  is  to  sever  the  artery  of 
grace.  Much  more  than  in  the  political  realm  must  the  sacred 
principle  be  applied  to  the  Kingdom  of  heaven,  that  to  our  Sover- 
eign King  and  Judge  alone  belongs  the  prerogative,  by  His  de- 
cision, absolutely  to  determine  our  state  of  righteousness  or  of 
unrighteousness. 

The  sovereignty  which  reposes  in  an  earthly  king  is  only  bor- 
rowed, derived,  and  laid  upon  him,  but  the  sovereignty  of  the 
Lord  our  God  is  the  source  and  fountainhead  of  all  authority  and 
of  all  binding  force. 

If  it  belongs  to  the  very  essence  of  sovereignty,  that  by  the 
ruler's  decision  alone  the  status  of  his  subjects  is  determined,  then 
it  must  be  clear,  and  it  can  not  be  otherwise  than  that  this  very 
authority  belongs  originally,  absolutely,  and  supremely  to  our  God. 
Whom  He  judges  guilty  is  guilty,  and  must  be  treated  as  guilty; 
and  whom  He  declares  just  is  just,  and  must  be  treated  as  just. 
Before  He  entered  Gethsemane,  Jesus  our  King  declared  to  His 
disciples :  "  Now  are  ye  clean  through  the  word  which  I  have  spoken 
unto  you."  And  this  is  His  declaration  even  now,  and  it  shall  for- 
ever remain  so.  Our  state,  our  place,  our  lot  for  eternity  depends 
not  upon  what  we  are,  nor  upon  what  others  see  in  us,  nor  upon 
what  we  imagine  or  presume  ourselves  to  be,  but  only  upon  what 
God  thinks  of  us,  what  He  counts  us  to  be,  what  He,  the  Almighty 
and  Just  Judge,  declares  us  to  be. 

When  He  declares  us  just,  when  He  thinks  us  just,  when  He 
counts  us  just,  then  we  are  by  this  very  thing  His  children  who 
shall  not  lie,  and  ours  is  the  inheritance  of  the  just,  altho  we  lie  in 
the  midst  of  sin.  And  in  like  manner,  when  He  pronounces  us 
guilty  in  Adam,  when  in  Adam  He  counts  us  subject  to  condemna- 
tion, then  we  are  guilty,  fallen,  and  condemned,  even  tho  we  dis- 
cover in  our  hearts  nothing  but  sweet  and  childlike  innocence. 

In  this  way  alone  it  must  be  understood  and  interpreted  that  the 
Lord  Jesus  was  numbered  with  the  transgressors,  altho  He  was  holy ; 
that  He  was  made  sin,  altho  He  was  the  living  Righteousness ;  and 
that  He  was  declared  a  curse  in  our  place,  altho  He  was  Immanuel. 
In  the  days  of  His  flesh  He  was  numbered  with  transgressors  and 
sinners.  He  was  put  in  their  state,  and  He  was  treated  accordingly ; 


366  JUSTIFICATION 

as  such  the  burden  of  God's  wrath  came  upon  Him,  and  as  such 
His  Father  forsook  Him,  and  gave  Him  over  to  bitterest  death.  In 
the  Resurrection  alone  He  was  restored  to  the  status  of  the  right- 
eous, and  thus  He  was  raised  for  our  justification. 

Oh,  this  matter  goes  so  deep !  When  to  the  Lord  God  is  again 
ascribed  His  sovereign  prerogative  to  determine  a  man's  status, 
then  every  mystery  of  Scripture  assumes  its  rightful  place;  but 
when  it  is  not,  then  the  entire  way  of  salvation  must  be  falsified. 

Finally,  if  one  should  say :  "  An  earthly  sovereign  may  be  mis- 
taken, but  God  can  not  be ;  hence  God  must  assign  to  every  man  a 
status  which  accords  with  his  work "  ;  then  we  answer :  "  This 
would  be  so,  if  the  omnipotent  grace  of  God  were  not  irresistible." 
But  since  it  is,  you  are  not  esteemed  by  God  according  to  what 
you  are,  but  you  are  what  God  esteems  you  to  be. 


XXXII. 
Justification  from  Eternity. 

"  The  righteousness  which  is  of  God 
by  faith."— /'/it/,  iii.  9. 

It  has  become  evident  that  the  question  which  most  closely  con- 
cerns us  is,  not  whether  we  are  more  or  less  holy,  but  whether  our 
status  is  that  of  the  just  or  of  the  unjust,  and  that  this  is  deter- 
mined not  by  what  we  are  at  any  given  moment,  but  by  God  as  our 
Sovereign  and  Judge. 

In  Adam's  creation  God  put  us,  without  any  preceding  merits 
on  our  part,  in  the  state  of  original  righteousness.  After  the  fall, 
according  to  the  same  sovereign  prerogative,  He  put  us,  as  Adam's 
descendants,  in  the  state  of  unrighteousness,  imputing  Adam's  guilt 
to  each  personally.  And  in  exactly  the  same  manner  He  now  jus- 
tifies the  ungodly,  i.e..  He  places  him,  without  any  previous  merit 
on  his  part,  in  the  state  of  righteousness  according  to  His  own  holy 
and  inviolable  prerogative. 

In  the  creation  He  did  not  first  wait  to  see  whether  man  would 
develop  holiness  in  himself,  so  as  to  declare  him  righteous  on  the 
ground  of  this  holiness ;  but  He  declared  him  originally  righteous, 
even  before  there  was  a  possibility  on  his  part  of  evincing  a  desire 
for  holiness.  And  after  the  fall  He  did  not  wait  to  see  whether  sin 
would  manifest  itself  in  us,  so  as  to  assign  us  to  the  state  of  the 
unrighteous  on  the  ground  of  this  sin ;  but  before  our  birth,  before 
there  was  a  possibility  of  personal  sin,  He  declared  us  guilty.  And 
in  the  same  manner  God  does  not  wait  to  see  whether  a  sinner 
shows  signs  of  conversion  in  order  to  restore  him  to  honor  as  a 
righteous  person,  but  He  declares  the  ungodly  just  before  he  has 
had  the  least  possibility  of  doing  any  good  work. 

Hence  there  is  a  sharp  line  between  our  sandification  and  our 
justification.  The  former  has  to  do  with  the  quality  of  our  being, 
depends  upon  our  faith,  and  can  not  be  effected  outside  of  us.     But 


368  JUSTIFICATION 

justification  is  effected  outside  of  us,  irrespective  of  what  we  are, 
dependent  only  upon  the  decision  of  God,  our  Judge  and  Sover- 
eign ;  in  such  a  way  that  justification  precedes  sanctification,  the 
latter  proceeding  from  the  former  as  a  necessary  result.  God  does 
not  justify  us  because  we  are  becoming  more  holy,  but  when  He 
has  justified  us  we  grow  in  holiness;  "  Being  now  justified  by  His 
blood,  we  shall  be  saved  from  wrath  through  Him." 

There  should  never  be  the  least  doubt  regarding  this  matter. 
Every  effort  to  reverse  this  established  order  of  Scripture  must 
earnestly  be  resisted.  This  glorious  confession,  declared  with  so 
much  power  to  the  souls  of  men  in  the  days  of  the  Reformation, 
must  continue  the  precious  jewel,  to  be  transmitted  intact  by  us  to 
our  posterity  as  a  sacred  inheritance.  So  long  as  we  ourselves 
have  not  yet  entered  the  New  Jerusalem,  our  comfort  should  never 
be  founded  upon  our  sanctification,  but  exclusively  upon  our  justi- 
fication. Tho  our  sanctification  were  ever  so  far  advanced,  so  long 
as  we  are  not  justified  we  remain  in  our  sin  and  are  lost.  And  if  a 
justified  sinner  die  immediately  after  his  justification  is  sealed  to 
his  soul,  he  may  shout  with  joy,  for,  in  spite  of  hell  and  of  Satan, 
he  is  sure  of  his  salvation. 

The  deep  significance  of  this  confession  is  faintly  discernible  in 
our  earthly  relations.  In  order  to  do  business  on  the  floor  of  the 
exchange,  a  trader  must  be  an  honorable  citizen.  If  convicted  of 
crime,  justly  or  unjustly,  he  will  be  expelled  from  exchange,  tho 
he  be  ten  times  more  honest  than  others  whose  fraudulent  transac- 
tions have  never  been  discovered.  And  how  will  this  dishonored 
man  be  restored  to  his  former  position.!*  On  the  ground  of  future 
honest  business  transactions?  That  is  out  of  the  question ;  for  as 
long  as  he  is  counted  dishonorable,  he  is  not  allowed  to  do  business 
on  the  floor.  Hence  he  can  not  prove  his  honesty  by  any  dealings 
on  exchange  or  in  the  market.  So  in  order  to  start  again,  he  must 
first  be  declared  an  honorable  man.  Then,  and  not  before,  can  he 
set  up  in  business  once  more. 

Call  this  doing  of  business  sanctification,  and  this  declaration  of 
being  a  man  of  honor  justification,  and  the  matter  will  be  illus- 
trated. For  as  this  merchant,  being  declared  dishonorable,  can  not 
do  business  so  long  as  he  continues  in  that  state,  and  must  be  de- 
clared honorable  before  he  can  begin  anew,  so  a  sinner  can  not  do 
any  good  work  so  long  as  he  is  counted  lost.     And  so  he  must  first 


JUSTIFICATION    FROM    ETERNITY  369 

be  declared  just  by  his  God,  in  order  to  transact  the  honorable 
business  of  sanctification. 

To  prove  that  this  is  effected  absolutely  without  our  own  merit, 
doing  or  not  doing,  and  entirely  without  our  actual  condition,  we 
refer  to  the  royal  prerogative  for  granting  pardon  and  reinstate- 
ment. Altho,  among  us,  decisions  of  the  judiciary  are  rendered  in 
the  name  of  the  king,  and  yet  not  by  the  king  himself,  a  certain 
opposition  between  the  king  and  the  judiciary  is  thinkable.  It 
might  occur  that  the  judiciary  declared  a  man  guilty  and  dishonor- 
able, whom  the  king  wished  not  to  be  so  declared.  To  keep  the 
majesty  of  the  crown  inviolate  in  such  cases,  the  prerogative  of 
granting  pardon  and  reinstatement  is  retained  by  almost  every 
crowned  head;  a  prerogative  which  in  the  present  day  is  narrowly 
circumscribed,  but  which  nevertheless  represents  still  the  exalted 
idea  that  the  decision  of  the  king,  and  not  our  actual  condition, 
determines  our  lot.  Hence  a  king  can  either  grant  pardon,  i.e., 
remit  the  penalty  and  release  the  guilty  person  from  all  the  conse- 
quences of  his  crime,  or,  stronger  still,  he  can  grant  reinstatement, 
i.e.,  he  can  restore  the  accused  and  condemned  to  the  condition  of 
one  who  had  never  been  declared  guilty. 

And  this  exalted  royal  prerogative,  of  which  on  account  of  sin 
there  remains  in  earthly  kings  but  a  faint  shadow,  is  the  inviolable 
right  in  which  God  rejoices,  Himself  being  the  Source  and  all-com- 
prehending Idea  of  all  majesty.  Not  you,  but  He  determines  what 
His  creature  shall  be ;  hence  He  sovereignly  disposes,  by  the  word 
of  His  mouth,  the  status  wherein  you  will  be  set,  whether  it  be  of 
righteousness  or  of  unrighteousness. 

It  is  also  evident  that  the  sinner's  justification  need  not  wait 
until  he  is  converted,  nor  until  he  has  become  conscious,  nor  even 
until  he  is  born.  This  could  not  be  so  if  justification  depended 
upon  something  within  him.  Then  he  could  not  be  justified  before 
he  existed  and  had  done  something.  But  if  justification  is  not 
bound  to  anything  in  him,  then  this  whole  limitation  must  disap- 
pear, and  the  Lord  our  God  be  sovereignly  free  to  render  this  justi- 
fication at  any  moment  that  He  pleases.  Hence  the  Sacred  Scrip- 
ture reveals  justification  as  an  eternal  act  of  God,  i.e.,  an  act  which 
is  not  limited  by  any  moment  in  the  human  existence.  It  is  for 
this  reason  that  the  child  of  God,  seeking  to  penetrate  into  that 
glorious  and  delightful  reality  of  his  justification,  does  not  feel 
24 


370  JUSTIFICATION 

himself  limited  to  the  moment  of  his  conversion,  but  feels  that  this 
blessedness  flows  to  him  from  the  eternal  depths  of  the  hidden  life 
of  God. 

It  should  therefore  openly  be  confessed,  and  without  any  abbre- 
viation, that  justification  does  not  occur  when  we  become  conscious 
of  it,  but  that,  on  the  contrary,  our  justification  was  decided  from 
eternity  in  the  holy  judgment-seat  of  our  God. 

There  is  undoubtedly  a  moment  in  our  life  when  for  the  first 
time  justification  is  published  to  our  consciousness;  but  let  us  be 
careful  to  distinguish  justification  itself  from  its  publication.  Our 
Christian  name  was  selected  for  and  applied  to  us  long  before  we, 
with  clear  consciousness,  knew  it  as  our  name;  and  altho  there 
was  a  moment  in  which  it  became  a  living  reality  to  us  and  was 
called  out  for  the  first  time  in  the  ear  of  our  consciousness,  yet  no 
man  will  be  so  foolish  as  to  imagine  that  it  was  then  that  he  actu- 
ally received  that  name. 

And  so  it  is  here.  There  is  a  certain  moment  wherein  that  jus- 
tification becomes  to  our  consciousness  a  living  fact ;  but  in  order 
to  become  a  living  fact,  it  must  have  existed  before.  It  does  not 
spring />c;«  our  consciousness,  but  it  is  mirrored  in  it,  and  hence 
must  have  being  and  stature  in  itself.  Even  an  elect  infant  which 
dies  in  the  cradle  is  declared  just,  tho  the  knowledge  or  conscious- 
ness of  its  justification  never  penetrated  its  soul.  And  elect  per- 
sons, converted,  like  the  thief  on  the  cross,  with  their  last  breath, 
can  scarcely  be  sensible  of  their  justification,  and  yet  enter  eternal 
life  exclusively  on  the  ground  of  their  justification.  Taking  an 
analogy  from  daily  life,  a  man  condemned  during  his  absence  in 
foreign  lands  was  granted  pardon  through  the  intercession  of  his 
friends,  wholly  without  his  knowledge.  Does  this  pardon  take 
effect  when  long  afterward  the  good  news  reaches  him,  or  when 
the  king  signs  his  pardon?  Of  course  the  latter.  Even  so  does 
the  justification  of  God's  children  take  effect,  not  on  the  day  when 
for  the  first  time  it  i^  published  to  their  consciousness,  but  at  the  mo- 
ment that  God  in  His  holy  judgment-seat  declares  them  just. 

But — and  this  should  not  be  overlooked — this  publishing  in  the 
consciousness  of  the  person  himself  must  necessarily  /ollo7v  j  and 
this  brings  us  back  again  to  the  special  work  of  the  Holy  Spirit. 
For  if  in  God's  judiciary  it  is  more  particularly  the  Father  who 
justifies  the  ungodly,  and  in  the  preparing  of  salvation  more  par- 


JUSTIFICATION   FROM    ETERNITY  37 1 

ticularly  the  Son  who  in  His  Incarnation  and  Resurrection  brings 
about  justification,  so  it  is,  in  more  limited  sense,  the  Holy  Spirit 
particularly  who  reveals  this  justification  to  the  persons  of  the 
elect  and  causes  them  to  appropriate  it  to  themselves.  It  is  by 
this  act  of  the  Holy  Spirit  that  the  elect  obtain  the  blessed  knowl- 
edge of  their  justification,  which  only  then  begins  to  be  a  living 
reality  to  thetn. 

For  this  reason  Scripture  reveals  these  two  positive,  but  appar- 
ently contradictory  truths,  with  equally  positive  emphasis:  (i) 
that,  on  the  one  hand,  He  has  justified  us  in  His  own  judgment-seat 
from  eternity;  and  (2)  that,  on  the  other,  only  in  conversion  are  we 
justified  by  faith. 

And  for  this  reason  faith  itself  is  fruit  and  effect  of  our  justifica- 
tion ;  while  it  is  also  true  that,  for  us,  justification  begins  to  exist 
only  as  a  result  of  our  faith. 


XXXIII. 
Certainty  of  Our  Justification. 

••  Being  justified  freely  by  His  grace, 
through  the  redemption  that  is  in 
Christ  Jesus." — Rom.  iii.  24. 

The  foregoing  illustrations  shed  unexpected  light  upon  the  fact 
that  God  justifies  the  ungodly,  and  not  him  who  is  actually  just  in 
himself;  and  upon  the  word  of  Christ:  "Now  are  ye  clean  through 
the  word  which  I  have  spoken  unto  you."  They  illustrate  the  sig- 
nificant fact  that  God  does  not  determine  our  status  according  to 
what  we  are,  but  by  the  status  to  which  He  assigns  us  He  deter- 
mines what  we  shall  be.  The  Reformed  Confession,  which  in  all 
things  starts  from  the  workings  of  God  and  not  of  man,  became 
again  clear,  eloquent,  and  transparent.  So  the  divine  Word,  ordi- 
narily lowered  to  a  mere  announcement  of  what  God  finds  in  us, 
becomes  once  more  Xh&Jiat  of  His  creative  power.  He  found  an 
ungodly  man  and  said,  "  Be  righteous,"  and  behold  he  became 
righteous.     "  I  said  to  thee  in  thy  blood,  Live." 

In  this  way  the  various  parts  of  the  redemptive  work  are  ar- 
ranged chronologically  each  in  its  own  place. 

So  long  as  the  false  and  narrow  idea  prevailed  that  a  man  was 
justified  after  conversion  on  the  ground  of  his  apparent  holiness, 
justification  could  not  precede  sanctification,  but  must  follow  it. 
Then  man  becomes  first  holy,  and,  as  a  reward  or  as  a  recognition 
of  his  holiness,  he  is  declared  righteous.  Hence  sanctification  is 
first,  and  justification  second ;  a  justification,  therefore,  without  any 
value,  for  what  is  the  use  of  declaring  that  a  ball  is  round? 

The  Scripture  refuses  to  acknowledge  a  posterior  justification. 
In  Scripture,  justification  is  always  the  starting-point.  All  other 
things  spring  from  it  and  follow  it.  "  Christ  was  made  unto  us  wis- 
dom and  righteousness,"  and  only  then  "  sanctification  and  redemp- 
tion." "  ThQTGiore  being  justified  by  faith,  we  have  peace  with  God 
through  our  Lord  Jesus  Christ,  by  whom  we  also  have  access." 


CERTAINTY    OF    OUR   JUSTIFICATION       373 

"  Being  justified  freely  by  His  grace,  through  the  redemption  that  is 
in  Christ  Jesus."  And,  "  Whom  He  called,  them  He  also  justified; 
and  whom  He  justified,  them  He  also  glorified." 

For  this  reason  the  Reformation  made  justification  by  faith  the 
starting-point  for  the  conscience,  and  by  this  confession  bravely  and 
energetically  opposed  Rome's  justification  by  good  works;  for  in 
this  justification  by  good  works  that  priority  of  sanctification  found 
its  root. 

The  Church  of  Christ  can  not  deviate  from  this  straight  line  of 
the  Reformation  without  estranging  itself  and  separating  itself  from 
its  Head  and  Fountain  of  Life,  vitally  injuring  itself.  Sects  which, 
like  the  Ethicals  and  the  Methodists,*  detract  from  this  truth  sever 
the  faith  from  its  root.  If  our  churches  desire  once  more  to  be 
strong  in  the  doctrine  and  bold  in  witness-bearing,  they  must  not 
repose  in  lethargy  on  the  mere  form  of  the  doctrine,  but  must 
heartily  embrace  the  doctrine ;  for  it  presents  this  cardinal  point  in 
a  superior  and  excellent  manner.  He  only  who  heroically  dares 
accept  justification  of  the  ungodly  becomes  actual  partaker  of  salva- 
tion. He  only  can  confess  heartily  and  unreservedly  redemption 
which  is  sovereign,  unmerited,  and  free  in  all  its  parts  and  workings. 

The  last  question  that  remains  to  be  discussed  is :  How  can  the 
justification  of  the  ungodly  be  reconciled  with  the  divine  Omni- 
science and  Holiness? 

It  must  be  acknowledged  that,  in  one  respect,  this  whole  repre- 
sentation seems  to  fail.     It  must  be  objected : 

"  Your  argument  is  wittily  thought  out,  but  it  does  not  stand  the 
test.  When  an  earthly  sovereign  decides  that  a  man's  state  shall 
be  otherwise  than  it  actually  is,  he  acts  from  ignorance,  mistake,  or 
arbitrariness.  And  since  these  things  can  not  be  ascribed  to  God, 
these  illustrations  can  not  be  applied  to  Him." 

And  again :  "  That  an  earthly  judge  sometimes  condemns  the 
innocent  and  acquits  the  guilty,  and  makes  the  former  to  occupy 
the  status  of  the  latter,  and  vice  versa,  is  possible  only  because  the 
judge  is  a  fallible  creature.  If  he  had  been  infallible,  if  he  could 
have  weighed  guilt  and  innocence  with  perfect  accuracy,  the  wrong 
could  not  have  been  committed.  Hence  if  sin  had  not  come  in, 
that  judge  could  not  have  acted  arbitrarily,  but  he  would  have 
acted  according  to  the  right,  and  decided  for  the  right  because  it  is 

*See  section  5  of  the  author's  Preface. 


374  JUSTIFICATION 

right.  And,  since  the  Lord  God  is  a  Judge  who  trieth  the  reins  and 
who  is  acquainted  with  all  our  ways,  in  whom  there  can  be  no  fail- 
ure or  mistake  or  ignorance,  it  is  not  thinkable,  it  is  impossible,  it 
is  inconsistent  with  God's  Being,  that  as  the  just  Judge  He  ever 
could  pronounce  a  judgment  that  is  not  perfectly  in  accordance 
with  the  conditions  actually  existing  in  man." 

Without  the  slightest  hesitation  we  submit  to  this  criticism.  It 
is  well  taken.  The  mistake  whereby  a  boy  can  be  registered  as  a 
girl;  the  peasant's  child  for  that  of  a  nobleman;  whereby  a  law- 
abiding  citizen  can  be  judged  as  a  law-breaker,  and  vice  versa,  is 
out  of  the  question  with  God.  And,  therefore,  when  He  justifies 
the  ungodly,  as  the  earthly  judge  declares  the  dishonorable  to  be 
honorable,  then  these  two  acts,  which  are  apparently  similar,  are 
utterly  dissimilar  and  may  not  be  interpreted  in  the  same  way. 

And  yet  the  correctness  of  the  objection  does  not  in  itself  in- 
validate the  comparison.  Scripture  itself  often  compares  men's 
acts,  which  are  necessarily  sinful,  to  the  acts  of  God.  When  the 
unjust  judge,  weary  of  the  widow's  tears  and  importunity,  finally 
said,  "  I  will  avenge  her,  lest  she  come  at  last  and  break  my  head  " 
(Dutch  Translation),  the  Lord  Jesus  does  not  for  a  moment  hesitate 
to  apply  this  action,  tho  it  sprang  from  an  unholy  motive,  to  the 
Lord  God,  saying:  "  And  shall  not  God  avenge  His  own  elect,  who 
cry  night  and  day  unto  Him?" 

It  can  not  be  otherwise.  For  since  all  acts  of  men,  even  the 
very  best  of  the  most  holy  among  them,  are  always  defiled  with 
sin,  either  it  would  be  impossible  to  compare  any  deed  of  man  with 
the  doings  of  God,  or  one  must  necessarily  consider  such  deeds  of 
men  apart  from  the  sinful  motive,  and  apply  to  God  only  the  third 
of  the  comparison. 

And  as  Jesus  could  not  mean  that  at  last  God  must  answer  His 
elect,  "  lest  they  come  and  break  His  head,"  but  without  speaking 
of  the  motive,  simply  pointed  to  the  fact  that  the  inopportune 
prayer  is  finally  heard,  so  did  we  compare  the  wrong  decision  of  the 
judge,  declaring  the  guilty  innocent,  to  the  infallible  decision  of 
God,  justifying  the  ungodly,  since,  in  spite  of  the  difference  of  mo- 
tive, it  coincides  with  a  third  of  the  comparison. 

Moreover,  human  mistakes  are  out  of  the  question  with  reference 
to  the  granting  of  pardon  and  reinstatement.  Hence  this  expres- 
sion of  royal  sovereignty  is  indeed  a  direct  type  of  the  sovereignty 
of  the  Lord  our  God. 


CERTAINTY   OF   OUR  JUSTIFICATION       375 

But  this  does  not  settle  the  question.  Altho  we  concede  that 
the  unholy  motive  of  mistake  can  not  be  attributed  to  God,  yet  we 
must  inquire :  What  is  God's  motive,  and  how  can  the  justification 
of  the  ungodly  be  consistent  with  His  divine  nature? 

We  reply  by  pointing  to  the  beautiful  answer  of  the  Catechism, 
question  60 :  "  How  art  thou  righteous  before  God?  Only  by  a  true 
faith  in  Jesus  Christ ;  so  that,  tho  my  conscience  accuse  me,  that  I 
have  grossly  transgressed  all  the  commandments  of  God,  and  kept 
none  of  them,  and  am  still  inclined  to  all  evil ;  notwithstanding,  God, 
without  any  merit  of  mine,  but  only  of  mere  grace,  grants  and  im- 
putes to  me  the  perfect  satisfaction,  righteousness,  and  holiness  of 
Christ ;  even  so  as  if  I  never  had  had,  nor  committed  any  sin :  yea, 
as  if  I  had  fully  accomplished  all  that  obedience  which  Christ  hath 
accomplished  for  me ;  inasmuch  as  I  embrace  such  benefit  with  a 
believing  heart." 

That  the  Lord  God  justifies  the  ungodly  is  not  because  He  en- 
joys fiction,  or  delights  by  a  terrible  paradox  to  call  one  righteous 
who  in  reality  is  wicked ;  but  this  fact  runs  parallel  with  the  other 
fact,  that  such  an  ungodly  one  is  really  righteous.  And  that  this 
ungodly  one,  who  in  himself  is  and  remains  wicked,  at  the  same 
time  is  and  continues  righteous,  finds  its  reason  and  ground  in  the 
fact  that  God  puts  this  poor  and  miserable  and  lost  sinner  into 
partnership  with  an  infinitely  rich  Mediator,  whose  treasures  are 
inexhaustible.  By  this  partnership  all  his  debts  are  discharged, 
and  all  those  treasures  flow  down  to  him.  So  tho  he  continues,  in 
himself,  poverty-stricken,  he  is  at  the  same  time  immensely  rich 
in  his  Partner. 

This  is  the  reason  why  all  depends  upon  faith  in  the  Lord  Jesus 
Christ ;  for  that  faith  is  the  bond  of  partnership.  If  there  is  no  such 
faith,  there  can  be  no  partnership  with  the  wealthy  Jesus ;  and  you 
are  still  in  your  sin.  But  if  there  is  faith,  then  the  partnership  is 
established,  then  it  exists,  and  you  engage  in  business  no  longer 
on  your  own  account,  but  in  partnership  with  Him  who  blots  out 
all  your  indebtedness,  while  He  makes  you  the  recipient  of  all  His 
treasure. 

How  is  this  to  be  understood?  Is  it  the  Person  of  the  Christ 
who  takes  us  into  partnership?  And,  since  God  has  no  longer  to 
reckon  with  our  poverty,  but  can  now  depend  upon  the  riches  of 
Christ,   does  He  therefore  count  us  good  and  righteous?     No, 


376  JUSTIFICATION 

brethren,  and  again,  no !  It  is  not  so,  and  it  may  not  so  be  pre- 
sented; for  then  there  would  be  no  justification  on  God's  part. 
You  have  a  bill  to  collect  from  a  man  who  failed  in  business,  but 
who  was  accepted  as  the  partner  of  a  rich  banker,  who  discharged 
all  his  debts.  Is  there  now  the  slightest  mercy  or  goodness  on  your 
part,  when  you  indorse  that  man's  check?  Doing  otherwise,  would 
you  not  flatly  contradict  solid  and  tangible  facts? 

No,  the  Lord  God  does  not  act  that  way.  Christ  does  not  blot 
out  the  debt,  and  obtain  us  treasure  outside  of  God ;  nor  does  the 
ungodly  enter,  through  faith,  into  partnership  with  the  wealthy 
Jesus  independently  of  the  Father ;  neither  does  God,  being  informed 
of  these  transactions,  justify  the  ungodly,  who  already  had  become 
a  believer.  For  then  ther«  would  be  no  honor  for  God,  nor  praise 
for  His  grace ;  it  would  be  not  the  ungodly,  but,  on  the  contrary,  a 
believer  that  was  justified. 

The  matter  is  not  transacted  that  way.  It  was  the  Lord  God, 
first  of  all,  who,  without  respect  of  person,  and  hence  without  re- 
spect to  faith  in  the  person,  according  to  His  sovereign  power, 
chose  a  portion  of  the  ungodly  to  eternal  life ;  not  as  Judge,  but  as 
Sovereign.  But  being  Judge  as  well  as  Sovereign,  and  therefore 
incapable  of  violating  the  right,  He  who  has  chosen,  that  is,  the 
Triune  God,  has  also  created  and  given  all  that  is  necessary  and  re- 
quired for  salvation ;  so  that  these  elect  persons,  at  the  proper  time 
and  by  appropriate  means,  may  receive  and  undergo  the  things  by 
which  in  the  end  it  will  appear  that  all  God's  doing  was  majesty 
and  all  His  decision  just. 

And,  therefore,  this  whole  ordering  of  the  Covenant  of  Grace ; 
and  in  this  Covenant  of  Grace  the  ordering  of  the  Mediator;  and  in 
the  Mediator  that  of  all  satisfaction,  righteousness,  and  holiness; 
and  of  that  satisfaction,  righteousness,  and  holiness,  first  the  itnputa- 
tion,  and  after  that  the  gift. 

Wherefore  God  does  indeed  declare  the  ungodly  just  before  he 
believes,  that  he  may  believe,  and  not  after  he  believes.  This 
justifying  act  is  the  creative  act  of  God,  in  which  is  also  deposited 
the  satisfaction,  righteousness,  and  holiness  of  Christ,  and  from 
which  flow  also  the  imputation  and  granting  of  all  these  to  the  un- 
godly. Wherefore  there  is  in  this  act  of  justification  not  the  slight- 
est mistake  or  untruth.  He  alone  is  declared  just  who,  being 
ungodly  in  himself,  by  this  declaration  is  and  becomes  righteous  in 
Christ. 


CERTAINTY    OF    OUR    JUSTIFICATION       377 

In  this  way  alone  it  is  possible  fully  to  understand  the  doctrine 
of  justification  in  all  its  wealth  and  glory.  Without  this  deep  con- 
ception of  it,  justification  is  merely  the  pardon  of  sin,  after  which, 
being  relieved  of  the  burden,  we  start  out  with  newly  animated 
zeal  to  work  for  God.  And  this  is  nothing  else  than  genuine,  fatal 
Arminianism. 

But,  with  this  deeper  insight,  man  acknowledges  and  confesses : 
"  Such  pardon  of  sin  does  not  avail  me.     For  I  know : 

"  ist.   That  I  shall  be  again  daily  defiled  with  sin; 

"  2d.  That  I  shall  have  a  sinful  heart  within  me  until  the  day  of 
my  death; 

"  3d.  That  until  then,  I  shall  never  be  able  to  accomplish  the 
keeping  of  the  whole  law ; 

"  4th.  That,  since  I  am  already  condemned  and  sentenced,  I  can 
not  do  business  in  the  Kingdom  of  God  as  an  honorable  man." 

The  answer  of  justification,  such  as  Scripture  reveals  and  our 
Church  confesses  it,  covers  these  four  points  most  satisfactorily. 
It  accepts  you  not  as  a  saint,  with  a  self-assumed  holiness,  but 
as  one  who  confesses:  "My  conscience  accuses  me  that  I  have 
grossly  transgressed  all  the  commandments  of  God,  and  have  kept 
none  of  them,  and  that  I  am  still  inclined  to  all  evil";  and  yet,  you 
are  not  cast  out.  It  tells  you  that  you  can  not  depend  upon  any 
merit  of  your  own,  but  must  rely  on  grace  alone.  Wherefore  it 
begins  with  putting  you  in  the  ranks  of  the  law-abiding,  of  them 
that  are  declared  good  and  righteous,  "  even  so  as  if  you  never  had 
had  nor  committed  any  sin."  As  the  ground  of  godliness  it  does  not 
require  of  you  the  keeping  of  the  law,  but  it  imputes  and  imparts 
to  you  Christ's  fulfilment  of  the  law;  esteeming  you  as  if  you  had 
fully  accomplished  all  that  obedience  which  Christ  has  accomplished 
for  you.  And  effacing  hereby  the  difference  of  your  past  and 
future  sin,  it  imputes  and  grants  unto  you  not  only  Christ's  satis- 
faction and  holiness,  but  even  His  original  righteousness,  in  such 
a  manner  that  you  stand  before  God  once  more  righteous  and 
honorable,  and  as  tho  the  whole  history  of  your  sin  had  been  a 
dream  only. 

But  the  closing  sentence  of  the  Catechism  should  be  noticed : 
"  Inasmuch  as  I  embrace  such  benefit  with  a  believing  heart."  And 
that  "believing  heart,"  and  that  "embracing" — behold,  that  is  the 
very  work  of  the  Holy  Spirit. 


Seventb  Cbapter. 
FAITH. 


XXXIV. 
Faith  in  General. 

"  Through  faith ;  and  that  not  of  yourselves, 
it  is  the  gift  of  God." — Ephes.  ii.  8. 

"When  the  judicial  act  of  the  Triune  God,  justification,  is  an- 
nounced to  the  conscience,  faith  begins  to  be  active  and  expresses 
itself  in  works.  This  leads  us  to  call  the  attention  of  our  readers 
to  the  work  of  the  Holy  Spirit,  which  consists  in  the  imparting  of 
faith. 

We  are  saved  through  faith ;  and  that  faith  is  not  of  ourselves, 
it  is  the  gift  of  God.  It  is  very  specially  a  gift  of  the  Triune  God, 
by  a  peculiar  operation  of  the  Holy  Ghost :  "  No  man  can  say  that 
Jesus  is  the  Lord  but  by  the  Holy  Ghost"  (i  Cor.  xii.  3).  St.  Paul 
calls  the  Holy  Spirit  the  Spirit  of  faith  (2  Cor.  iv.  13).  And  in  Gal. 
V.  22  he  mentions  faith  as  the  fruit  of  the  Holy  Spirit. 

In  salvation  nearly  everything  depends  upon  faith ;  hence  a  cor- 
rect conception  of  faith  is  essential.  It  has  always  been  the  aim  of 
error  to  poison  faith's  being,  and  thus  to  destroy  weak  souls  as  well 
as  the  Church  itself.  It  is  therefore  the  urgent  duty  of  ministers 
to  instruct  the  churches  concerning  faith's  being  and  nature;  by 
correct  definitions  to  detect  prevailing  error,  and  thus  to  restore 
the  joy  of  a  clear  and  well-founded  consciousness  of  faith. 

For  years  the  people  have  listened  to  the  poorest  and  vaguest 
theories  of  faith.  Every  minister  has  had  his  own  theory  and 
definition,  or  worse,  no  definition  at  all.  In  a  general  way  they 
have  felt  what  faith  is,  and  presented  it  eloquently;  but  these 
brilliant,  metaphorical,  often  flowery  descriptions  have  frequently 
been  more  obscuring  than  illuminating;  they  have  failed  to  in- 
struct.    The  definition  of  faith  being  left  to  the  inspiration  of  the 


FAITH    IN    GENERAL  379 

moment,  it  often  occurred  that  the  minister  unconsciously  offered 
to  his  people  one  Sunday  the  very  opposite  of  what  he  had  elo- 
quently proclaimed  the  week  before.  This  should  not  be  so.  The 
Church  must  increase  in  knowledge  also ;  and  what  sufficed  for  the 
apostolic  Church  is  not  sufficient  now.  The  ideas  of  faith  were 
confused  then;  and  the  earliest  writings  show  that  the  various 
problems  regarding  faith  had  not  been  solved. 

But  not  so  in  the  apostolic  writings,  whose  inspiration  is  proven 
from  the  fact  that  they  contain  a  clear  and  definite  answer  to  nearly 
all  these  questions.  But  after  the  apostles  had  passed  away,  the 
depth  of  their  word  not  yet  understood,  there  was  a  childlike  con- 
fusion of  ideas  in  the  Church  of  the  first  centuries ;  until  the  Lord 
allowed  various  heretical  forms  of  faith  to  appear,  which  the  Church 
was  compelled  to  oppose  by  the  real  forms  of  faith.  To  do  this 
successfully  it  had  to  emerge  from  that  confusion  and  to  arrive  at 
clearer  distinctions  and  conceptions. 

Hence  the  many  differences,  questions,  and  distinctions  which 
subsequently  arose  regarding  faith's  being  and  exercise.  Owing 
to  the  earnest  debates,  the. real  being  of  faith  became  gradually 
more  defined  and  clearly  distinguished  from  its  false  forms  and 
imitations.  That  in  the  present  time  every  path,  good  and  bad,  has 
its  own  distinctive  sign-post,  so  that  no  one  can  turn  in  the  wrong 
direction  ig^norantly,  is  the  fruit  of  the  long  conflict  waged  with  so 
much  patience  and  talent. 

Undoubtedly  ignorance  has  caused  much  misunderstanding. 
But  we  maintain  that  a  guide  who  neglects  to  examine  the  roads 
before  he  undertakes  to  guide  travelers  is  unworthy  of  his  title. 
And  a  minister  of  the  Word  is  a  spiritual  guide,  appointed  by  the 
Lord  Jesus  to  conduct  pilgrims  traveling  to  the  heavenly  Jerusalem 
through  the  high  Alps  of  faith,  where  the  ordinary  communications 
of  the  earthly  life  have  ceased,  from  one  mountain-plateau  to  an- 
other. Hence  he  is  inexcusable  when,  merely  guessing  at  the 
location  of  the  heavenly  city,  he  advises  his  pilgrims  to  try  the 
path  which  seems  to  lead  in  that  direction.  By  virtue  of  his  office 
he  should  make  it  his  chief  business  to  know  which  is  the  shortest, 
safest,  and  most  certain  way,  and  then  tell  them  that  this  and  none 
other  is  the  way.  Formerly,  when  the  various  paths  had  not  yet 
been  examined,  it  was  to  some  extent  praiseworthy  to  try  them  all ; 
but  now,  since  their  misleading  character  is  so  well  known,  it  is  un- 
pardonable to  try  them  again. 


38o  FAITH 

And  when  the  easy-going  people  say,  "  Above  all  things  let  us 
retain  our  simplicity ;  what  is  the  use  in  our  Christian  faith  of  all 
those  wearisome  distinctions,"  we  would  ask  of  them  whether  in 
the  case  of  a  surgical  operation  they  would  prefer  a  surgeon  who  in 
his  simplicity  only  cuts  no  matter  where  or  how;  or  in  case  of  sick- 
ness, an  apothecary  who  simply  puts  a  mixture  together  from  his 
various  jars  and  bottles,  regardless  of  the  names  of  the  drugs;  or, 
to  take  another  example,  in  case  of  a  sea-voyage,  would  they  em- 
bark in  a  vessel  whose  captain,  chary  of  the  use  of  charts  and  in- 
struments, in  sweet  simplicity  steers  his  ship,  merely  trusting  in 
^s luck? 

And  wnen  they  answer,  as  they  must,  that  in  such  cases  they 
demand  professionals  thoroughly  acquainted  with  the  smallest  de- 
tails of  their  professions,  then  we  ask  them  in  the  name  of  the  Lord 
and  of  their  accountability  unto  Him,  how  they  can  go  to  work  so 
simply,  i.e.,  so  carelessly  and  thoughtlessly,  when  it  concerns  spir- 
itual disease,  or  the  voyage  across  the  unfathomable  waters  of  life, 
as  tho  in  these  matters  thoughtful  discrimination  were  immaterial. 

We  refuse,  therefore,  to  be  influenced  by  that  sickly  talk  about 
simplicity  regarding  faith,  or  by  the  impious  cry  against  a  so-called 
dogmatism,  but  shall  diligently  seek  to  give  an  exposition  of  the 
being  of  faith,  which,  eradicating  error,  will  point  out  the  only  safe 
and  reliable  path. 

As  a  starting-point,  let  it  be  plainly  understood  that  there  is  a 
sharp  distinction  between  saving  faith  and  the  faith  which  in  the 
various  spheres  of  life  is  called  "faith  in  general." 

When  Columbus  is  incited,  by  internal  compulsion,  to  direct 
his  restless  eye  across  the  western  ocean  to  the  world  which  he 
there  expects  with  almost  absolute  certainty,  we  call  this  faith, 
and  yet,  with  this  instinctive  inclination  in  the  mind  of  Columbus 
saving  faith  has  nothing  to  do.  And  the  preacher,  using  this  and 
similar  examples  otherwise  than  as  a  faint  analogy,  does  not  ex- 
plain but  obscures  the  matter,  and  leads  the  Church  in  the  wrong 
direction. 

Sometimes  we  have  among  our  children  one  whose  mind  is  con- 
stantly occupied  by  an  unconscious  aim  or  idea,  that  leaves  him  no 
rest.  In  after  years  it  may  appear  to  be  his  life's  aim  and  purpose. 
This  is  the  compulsion  of  an  inward  law  belonging  to  his  nature : 
the  mysterious,  constraining  activity  of  a  ruling  idea  governing  his 


FAITH    IN    GENERAL  381 

life  and  person.  People  thus  constrained  conquer  every  obstacle ; 
however  opposed,  they  come  ever  nearer  to  that  unconscious  pur- 
pose, and  at  last,  owing  to  this  irresistible  impulse,  they  attain 
what  they  have  been  so  long  aiming  at.  And  this  is  also  frequently 
called _/(2/V//y  but  it  has  little  more  than  the  name  in  common  with 
the  faith  of  which  we  are  about  to  speak.  For  while  such  faith 
excites  human  energy,  and  exalts  and  glorifies  it,  saving  faith,  on 
the  contrary,  casts  down  all  human  greatness. 

The  same  is  true  of  the  so-called  faith  in  one's  ideas.  One  is 
young  and  enthusiastic;  he  dreams  beautiful  dreams  of  a  golden 
age  of  happiness  and  sees  delightful  ideals  of  righteousness  and 
glory.  That  beautiful  world  of  his  fancy  seems  to  comfort  him 
for  the  disappointments  of  this  matter-of-fact  world.  If  that  were 
the  real  world,  and  if  it  were  always  to  remain  so,  it  would  have 
broken  his  youthful  heart  and  prematurely  quenched  its  enthusiasm ; 
and,  grown  old  when  still  young,  he  would  have  joined  the  pessi- 
mists who  perish  in  despair,  or  the  conservatives  who  find  relief  in 
the  silencing  of  the  higher  dictates  of  the  conscience.  But  fortu- 
nately their  number  is  small.  In  this  painful  experience  many 
discover  a  world  of  ideals,  i.e.,  they  have  the  courage  to  condemn 
this  sinful  world,  full  of  misery,  and  to  prophesy  of  the  coming  of 
a  better  and  happier  world. 

Alas!  youthful  presumption,  chasing  after  its  ideals,  often  fancies 
that  the  cause  of  all  evils  lies  in  the  fathers.  "  If  my  fathers  had 
only  seen  and  planned  things  as  I  do  now,  our  progress  would  have 
been  much  greater."  But  those  fathers  did  not  see  it  so.  They 
went  wrong;  hence  our  ideals  are  not  yet  real.  But  there  is  hope ; 
a  young  generation,  clearly  understanding  these  things,  will  soon 
be  heard;  then  great  changes  will  occur:  much  of  the  existing 
misery  will  disappear,  and  our  ideal  world  will  become  real.  And 
cruel  is  the  answer  of  unvarnished  experience.  For  the  son  acts  as 
foolishly  as  the  father  did  before  him.  Consequently  the  ideal 
world  is  not  realized.  He  cries  aloud,  but  men  will  not  hear;  they 
refuse  to  be  delivered  from  their  misery,  and  the  old  sadness  goes 
on  forever. 

At  this  point  the  company  of  idealistic  men  is  divided.  Some 
abandon  the  effort ;  call  their  dreams  delusive,  and,  accepting  the 
inevitable,  increase  the  broad  stream  of  souls  trampled  down  to  the 
same  level.     But  a  few  nobler  souls  refuse  to  submit  to  this  debased 


382  FAITH 

and  ignoble  wretchedness ;  and  preferring  to  run  their  heads  against 
the  granite  wall,  with  the  cry,  "  Advienne  qui  pourra,"  cling  to 
their  ideals.  And  these  men  who  can  not  be  sufficiently  loved  and 
appreciated  are  said  to  believe.  But  even  this  faith  has  nothing  in 
common  with  saving  faith ;  to  speak  of  this  as  the  same  is  but  con- 
fusion of  tongues  and  a  joining  together  of  things  dissimilar. 

Finally,  the  same  is  true  of  a  much  lower  form,  ordinarily  called 
faith,  which  is  the  light-hearted  expression  of  cheerfulness ;  or  the 
lucky  guessing  at  something  which  accidentally  comes  to  pass. 
There  are  cheery,  mirthful  souls,  who  in  spite  of  adversity  never 
seem  to  be  cast  down  or  harmed,  who,  however  much  suppressed, 
have  always  enough  of  elasticity  in  their  happy  spirits  to  let  the 
mainspring  of  their  inward  life  rebound  into  full  activity.  Such 
people  have  always  an  encouraging  and  hopeful  eye  for  all  their 
surroundings.  They  are  strangers  to  gloomy  forebodings,  and  un- 
acquainted with  melancholy  fears.  Care  does  not  rob  them  of 
sleep,  and  nervous  restlessness  does  not  send  the  blood  to  the  heart 
at  quickened  pace.  However,  they  are  not  indifferent,  only  not 
easily  affected.  Things  may  go  against  them,  the  clouds  may 
overcast  their  sky,  but  behind  the  clouds  they  see  the  sun  still 
shining,  and  they  prophesy,  with  cheerful  smile,  that  light  will 
soon  break  through  the  darkness.  Therefore  it  is  said  that  they 
have  faith  in  persons  and  in  things. 

And  this  faith,  if  it  be  not  too  superficial,  should  be  appreciated. 
"With  millions  of  melancholy  souls,  life  in  this  country  would  be 
unbearable;  and  it  is  cause  for  gratitude  that  our  national  char- 
acter, otherwise  so  phlegmatic,  cultivates  sons  and  daughters  in 
whose  hearts  the  faith  of  the  cheerful  burns  brightly.  And  some- 
times their  prophecies  are  really  fulfilled;  everybody  thought  that 
the  little  craft  would  perish,  and,  behold,  it  safely  reached  and  en- 
tered the  harbor;  and  it  appeared  that  their  cheerful  faith  was 
actually  one  of  the  causes  of  its  happy  arrival.  And  then  these 
prophets  ask  you :  Did  we  not  tell  you  so?  Were  you  not  altogether 
too  gloomy?     Do  you  not  see  that  it  came  out  all  right? 

But  even  this  faith  has  nothing  but  the  name,  in  common  with 
saving  faith.  We  must  note  this  especially  because,  in  Christian 
institutions  and  enterprises,  we  frequently  meet  with  men  and 
women  who  are  upheld  by  this  spirit  of  cheerfulness  and  unques- 
tioning confidence,   and  who  by  this  hopeful  spirit  pilot  many  a 


FAITH    IN    GENERAL  383 

Christian  craft,  which  otherwise  might  perish,  into  a  safe  harbor. 
But  this  spiritual  cheerfulness  which,  in  the  Christian,  is  perhaps 
fruit  of  the  genuine  faith,  is  by  no  means  the  genuine  faith  itself. 
And  when  it  is  said,  "  Do  you  now  see  what  faith  can  do?"  the  sa- 
ving faith  is  again  confounded  with  this  general  faith  which  is  found 
sometimes  even  among  the  heathen. 


XXXV. 
Faith  and  Knowledge. 

"He  that  believeth  in  the  Son  hath  ever- 
lasting life;  and  he  that  believeth  not 
the  Son  shall  not  see  life."— y^j/iw  iii.  36. 

In  the  discussion  of  saving  faith,  faith  in  general  can  not  afford 
us  the  least  assistance.  To  understand  what  "  faith  "  is,  we  must 
turn  in  an  entirely  different  direction,  and  answer  the  question : 
"  What  is,  among  the  nations,  the  universal  root-idea  and  original 
significance  of  faith?" 

And  then  we  meet  this  singular  phenomenon,  that  among  all 
nations  and  at  all  times  faith  is  an  expression  denoting  at  one  time 
something  uncertain,  and  at  another  something  very  certain. 

It  may  be  said :  "  I  believe  that  the  clock  struck  three,  but  I  am 
not  certain";  or,  "  I  believe  that  his  initials  are  H.  T.,  but  I  am  not 
certain " ;  or,  "  I  believe  that  you  can  take  a  ticket  directly  for  St. 
Petersburg,  but  it  would  be  well  first  to  inquire."  In  every  one  of 
these  sentences,  which  can  be  translated  literally  in  every  culti- 
vated language,  "  to  believe"  signifies  a  mere  guess,  something  less 
than  actual  knowledge,  a  confession  of  U7icertainty. 

But  when  I  say,  "I  believe  in  the  forgiveness  of  sin";  or,  "I 
believe  in  the  immortality  of  the  soul";  or  lastly,  "  I  believe  in  the 
unquestionable  integrity  of  that  statesman";  "  to  believe"  does  not 
imply  doubt  or  uncertainty  about  these  things,  but  signifies  strong- 
est conviction  concerning  them. 

From  which  it  follows,  that  every  definition  of  the  being  of 
faith  must  be  wrong  which  does  not  explain  how,  from  one  and 
the  same  root-idea,  there  can  be  derived  a  twofold,  diametrically 
opposed  use  of  the  same  word. 

Of  this  difficulty  there  can  be  but  one  solution,  viz.,  the  differ- 
ence in  the  nature  of  the  things  in  regard  to  which  certainty  is 
desired;  so  that,  with  reference  to  one  class  of  things,  highest  cer- 
tainty is  obtained  by  faith,  and,  with  reference  to  another,  it  is  not. 


FAITH    AND    KNOWLEDGE  385 

This  difference  arises  from  the  fact  that  there  are  things  visible 
and  invisible,  and  that  certainty  regarding  things  visible  is  obtained 
by  knozvledge  and  not  by  faith ;  while  certainty  in  regard  to  things 
invisible  is  obtained  exclusively  hy  faith.  When  a  man  says  regard- 
ing visible  things,  "  I  believe,"  and  not,  "  I  know,"  he  impresses  us 
as  being  uncertain  ;  but  in  saying  regarding  invisible  things,  "  I  be- 
lieve," he  gives  us  the  idea  of  certainty. 

It  should  be  observed  here  that  the  expressions  "  visible "  and 
"  invisible "  must  not  be  taken  in  too  narrow  a  sense ;  by  things 
visible  must  be  understood  all  things  that  can  be  perceived  by  the 
senses,  as  in  Scripture ;  and  by  things  invisible,  the  things  that  can 
not  be  so  perceived.  Wherefore  the  things  that  pertain  to  the 
hidden  life  of  a  person  must  ultimately  rest  on  faith.  His  deeds 
alone  belong  to  the  visible  things.  Certainty  in  regard  to  these 
can  be  obtained  by  the  perception  of  the  senses.  But  certainty 
regarding  his  inward  personality,  his  thoughts,  his  affections  and 
their  sincerity,  his  character  and  its  trustworthiness,  and  anything 
pertaining  to  his  inward  life, — certainty  regarding  all  these  can  be 
reached  by  faith  only. 

If  we  were  to  enter  more  deeply  into  this  matter,  we  should 
maintain  that  all  certainty,  even  regarding  things  visible,  rests  always 
and  only  upon  faith;  and  we  should  lay  down  the  following  propo- 
sitions :  When  you  say  that  you  saw  a  man  in  the  water  and  heard 
him  cry  for  help,  your  knowledge  rests,  frst,  upon  your  belief  that 
you  did  not  dream  btit  was  wide  awake,  and  that  you  did  not  imagine 
but  actually  saw  it ;  second,  upon  your  firm  belief  that  since  you  saw 
and  heard  something  there  must  be  a  corresponding  reality  which 
occasions  that  seeing  and  hearing ;  third,  upon  your  conviction  that 
in  seeing  something,  e.g.,  the  form  of  a  man,  your  senses  enable 
you  to  obtain  a  correct  impression  of  that  form. 

And,  proceeding  in  this  way,  we  could  demonstrate  that  in  the 
end,  all  certainty  in  regard  to  things  visible,  as  well  as  to  things 
invisible,  rests  ultimately  not  upon  perception,  but  upon  faith.  It 
is  impossible  for  my  ego  to  obtain  any  knowledge  of  things  out- 
side of  myself  without  a  certain  bond  of  faith,  which  unites  me  to 
these  things.  I  must  always  believe  either  in  my  own  identity,  that 
is,  that  I  am  myself;  or  in  the  clearness  of  m^y  consciousness;  or  in 
the  perception  of  my  senses ;  or  in  the  actuality  of  the  things  out- 
side of  myself;  or  in  the  axiomata  from  which  I  proceed. 

Hence  it  can  be  stated,  without  the  slightest  exaggeration,  that 


386  FAITH 

no  man  can  ever  say,  " / know  this  or  that"  without  its  being  possi- 
ble to  prove  to  him  that  his  knowledge,  in  a  deeper  sense  and  upon 
closer  analysis,  depends,  so  far  as  its  certainty  is  concerned,  upon 
faith  alone. 

But  we  prefer  not  to  consider  this  deeper  conception  of  the 
matter,  because  it  confuses  rather  than  explains  the  being  of  faith ; 
for  it  should  be  remembered  that  in  Sacred  Scripture  the  Holy  Spirit 
always  uses  words  as  they  occur  in  the  ordinary  speech  of  daily 
life,  simply  because  otherwise  the  children  of  the  Kingdom  could 
not  understand  them.  And,  in  the  daily  life,  people  do  not  make 
that  closer  distinction,  but  say,  in  the  case  above  referred  to :  "I 
know  that  there  is  a  man  in  the  water,  for  I  saw  his  head  and  I 
heard  him  cry."  While,  on  the  other  hand,  it  is  said,  in  the  ordi- 
nary speech  of  daily  life  ;  "  If  you  do  not  believe  me,  I  can  not  talk 
with  you";  indicating  the  fact  that,  in  regard  to  o.  person,  faith  is 
the  only  means  by  which  certainty  can  be  obtained. 

And,  keeping  this  in  view,  we  shall,  for  the  sake  of  clearness, 
present  the  matter  in  this  way:  that  the  Lord  God  has  created  man 
in  such  a  way  that  he  can  obtain  knowledge  of  two  worlds,  of  the 
world  of  visible  things,  and  of  that  of  invisible  things ;  but  so  that 
he  obtains  such  knowledge  concerning  each  in  a  special  and  peculiar 
manner.  He  obtains  knowledge  of  the  world  of  visible  things  by 
means  of  the  senses,  which  are  instruments  designed  to  bring  his 
mind  into  contact  with  the  outside  world.  But  the  senses  teach 
him  nothing  concerning  the  world  of  invisible  things,  for  which  he 
needs  altogether  diflferent  organs. 

We  have  no  names  for  these  other  organs,  as  we  have  for  the 
five  senses ;  yet  we  know  that  from  that  invisible  world  we  receive 
impressions,  sensations,  emotions;  we  know  perfectly  well  that 
these  mutually  differ  in  duration,  depth,  and  power,  and  we  also 
know  that  some  of  these  aflfect  us  as  real  and  others  as  unreal.  In 
fact  the  invisible  world,  as  well  as  the  visible  world,  exerts  influ- 
ences upon  us;  not  through  the  five  senses,  but  by  means  of  un- 
namable  organs.  This  influence  from  the  invisible  world  affects 
the  soul,  the  consciousness,  the  innermost  ego.  This  working 
makes  impressions  upon  the  soul,  excites  sensations  in  the  con- 
sciousness, and  causes  emotions  in  the  inward  ego. 

This  is  done,  however,  in  such  a  way  that  there  is  always  room 
for  the  question :  "  Are  these  impressions  real?     Can  I  trust  these 


FAITH    AND    KNOWLEDGE  387 

sensations?  Is  there  a  reality  corresponding  to  these  sensations, 
impressions,  emotions?"  And  to  this  last  question  faith  alone  can 
answer  "yes."  in  precisely  the  same  manner  as  the  question, 
whether  I  obtain  certainty  from  my  own  consciousness  and  from 
my  senses  and  from  the  axiomata,  receives  its  "yes"  exclusively 

and  only  by  faith. 

To  obtain  certainty  regarding  the  things  invisible,  such  as  love, 
faithfulness,  righteousness,  and  holiness,  the  mystic  body  of  the 
Lord-in  a  word,  regarding  all  things  that  pertain  to  the  mystery  of 
the  personal  life  in  my  fellow  men.  in  Immanuel.  in  the  Lord  our 
God.  faith  is  the  proper  and  only  divinely  ordained  way;  not  as 
something  inferior  to  knowledge,  but  equal  to  it,  only  much  more 
certain,  and  from  which  all  knowledge  derives  its  certainty. 

As  regards  the  objection,  that  the  Sacred  Scripture  declares  that 
faith  shall  be  turned  into  sight,  we  say  that  this  "  sight"  has  noth- 
ing in  common  with  the  sight  by  means  of  the  senses.  God  sees 
and  knows  all  things,  and  yet  He  does  not  possess  any  of  the  senses. 
His  sight  is  an  immediate  act  of  penetration,  with  His  Spirit,  into 
the  essence  and  consistence  of  all  things.  To  Adam  in  Paradise 
something  of  this  immediate  wisdom  and  knowledge  was  imparted; 
but  by  sin  he  lost  that  glorious  feature  of  the  image  of  God.  And 
Scripture  promises  that  this  glorious  feature  shall  be  restored  to 
God's  children,  in  the  Kingdom  of  Glory,  in  much  more  glorious 
measure  than  in  Paradise. 

But.  while  we  still  sojourn  as  pilgrims,  not  yet  possessing  the 
glorified  body  any  more  than  the  glory  of  our  inward  status,  our 
contact  with  the  invisible  world  does  not  yet  consist  in  sight ;  our 
mind  still  lacks  the  power  to  penetrate  immediately  into  the  things 
invisible ;  and  we  still  depend  upon  the  impressions  and  sensations 
produced  by  them.  Wherefore  we  can  have  no  certainty  regard- 
ing these  impressions  and  sensations,  except  by  direct  faith.  Still, 
existing  and  living  as  pilgrims  together,  we  believe  in  each  other's 
love,  good  faith,  and  honesty  of  character ;  we  believe  in  God  the  Fa- 
ther, in  our  Savior,  and  in  the  Holy  Spirit ;  we  believe  in  the  Holy 
Catholic  Church;  we  believe  in  the  forgiveness  of  sin,  the  res- 
urrection of  the  body,  and  the  life  everlasting.  And  we  do  not  be- 
lieve in  all  these  with  the  secret  after-thought  that  we  would  really 
prefer  to  kno^u  them,  instead  of  beliei<ing  them :  for  that  would  be 
just   as  absurd  as  to  say.  of  an  organ  concert:  "Really  I  would 


388  FAITH 

prefer  to  see  this."  Music  can  not  be  seen  any  more  than  one  can 
become  conscious  of  things  invisible  by  means  of  the  senses.  And 
as  the  sense  of  hearing  is  the  only  proper  means  of  hearing  and  en- 
joying music,  so  faith  is  the  peculiar  and  only  means  whereby  cer- 
tainty can  be  obtained  regarding  our  contact  with  the  world  unseen 
and  invisible. 

This  being  thoroughly  understood,  it  can  not  be  difficult  to  see 
that  this  faith  in  reference  to  things  visible  is  far  inferior  to  knowl- 
edge ;  for  the  visible  things  are  intended  to  be  ascertained,  care- 
fully and  accurately,  by  means  of  the  senses.  Imperfect  observa- 
tion renders  our  knowledge  uncertain.  Hence,  in  regard  to  the 
visible  things,  no  other  knowledge  than  that  obtained  by  the  senses 
ought  to  be  considered  reliable. 

But  in  a  number  of  unimportant  cases  accurate  knowledge  is 
needless;  e.g.,  in  the  difference  concerning  the  respective  heights 
of  two  steeples.  In  such  cases  we  use  the  word  "  believe,"  as,  "I 
believe  that  this  steeple  is  higher  than  the  other."  And  again, 
visible  things  impress  their  image  upon  the  memory,  which  in  the 
course  of  years  becomes  dim.  Meeting  a  gentleman  I  have  seen 
before,  and  fully  recognizing  him,  I  say,  "  This  is  Mr.  B.";  but  be- 
ing uncertain,  I  say,  "  I  believe  that  this  is  Mr.  B."  In  this  case  we 
seem  to  be  dealing  with  visible  things,  for  a  gentleman  stands  be- 
fore us;  yet  the  image  which  recalls  him  belongs  to  the  inward 
contents  of  the  memory.     Hence  the  difference  of  speech. 

We  reach,  therefore,  this  conclusion: 

First,  that  all  certainty  regarding  things  visible  as  well  as  invis- 
ible depends  in  the  deepest  sense  upon  faith. 

Second,  that  in  ordinary  speech  certainty  regarding  things  vis- 
ible is  obtained  by  means  of  the  senses,  and  regarding  things  invis- 
ible, especially  things  that  pertain  to  personality,  by  believing. 

For  this  reason  Brakel's  effort  to  interpret  the  verb  to  belie7<e, 
according  to  the  Hebrew  and  Greek  idioms,  as  meaning  to  trust,  and 
not  as  a  means  to  obtain  certainty,  was  a  failure.  Such  meanings  are 
the  same  in  all  languages,  and  there  is  no  difference,  because  they 
are  the  direct  result  of  the  organism  of  the  human  mind,  which,  in 
its  fundamental  features,  is  the  same  among  all  nations.  Confidence 
is  the  direct  result  of  faith,  but  is  not  faith  itself. 

"  To  believe  "  refers,  in  the  first  place,  to  the  certainty  or  uncer- 


FAITH    AND   KNOWLEDGE  389 

tainty  of  the  consciousness  concerning  something.  If  there  is  no 
such  certainty,  I  do  not  believe;  being  consciously  certain,  I  be- 
lieve. When  a  person  introduces  himself  to  me  as  a  man  of  in- 
tegrity, the  first  question  is,  whether  I  believe  him.  If  I  am  not 
certain  that  he  is  a  man  of  integrity,  I  do  not  believe  him.  But  if 
I  believe  him,  confidence  is  the  immediate  result.  Then  it  is  im- 
possible not  to  trust  him.  To  believe  that  he  is  what  he  claims  to 
be,  and  not  trust  him,  is  simply  impossible. 

Hence  "  to  believe  "  always  retains  the  primary  meaning  of  "  as- 
suring the  consciousness  "  j  and  saving  faith  requires  me  "  to  be  certain 
that  Christ  is  to  me  such  as  He  reveals  and  ofers  Himself  in  Sacred 
Scripture." 


XXXVI. 
Brakel  and  Comrie.* 

"  If  in  anything  ye  be  otherwise  minded, 
God  shall  reveal  even  this  unto  you." 
—Phil.  iii.  15. 

We  call  the  attention  of  our  readers  to  the  two  lines  which  in 
the  last  century  were  most  correctly  drawn  by  Brakel  and  Comrie 
respectively ;  and  we  do  not  deny  that  of  the  two,  Comrie  was  the 
more  correct. 

This  is  not  intended  to  hurt  the  friends  of  Brakel,  for  then  we 
should  wound  ourselves.  However,  altho  the  name  of  "  Father 
Brakel "  is  still  precious  to  us ;  altho  we  appreciate  his  courageous 
protesting  against  church  tyranny,  and  heartily  acknowledge  our 
indebtedness  to  his  excellent  writings ;  yet  this  does  not  render  him 
infallible,  neither  does  it  alter  the  fact  that  in  the  matter  of  faith 
Comrie  judged  more  correctly  than  he. 

To  do  justice  to  both  men,  we  will  cite  their  respective  argu- 
ments, and  then  show  that  Comrie,  who  did  not  always  see  correctly 
either,  was  more  strictly  Scriptural,  and  therefore  more  strictly 
Reformed,  than  Brakel. 

In  the  chapter  on  Faith  ("  Rational  Religion,"  ii.,  776,  ed.  1757), 
Brakel  writes : 

"The  question  is :  What  is  the  essential,  fundamental  act  of  faith?  Is 
it  the  assent  of  the  tntnd  to  the  Gospel  and  its  promises,  or  is  it  the  trust- 
ing of  the  heart  in  Christ  for  justification,  sanctifcation,  and  redemfi' 
tion  ?    Before  we  answer  this  question  we  wish  to  say : 

"  First,  that  by '  trusting  '  we  do  not  understand  a  Christian's  assurance 
and  confidence  that  he  is  in  Christ  and  a  partaker  of  Christ  and  of  all  His 
promises ;  nor  his  peace  and  rest  in  Christ,  for  that  is  &  fruit  of  faith 
which  some  have  more  than  others ;  but  by  trusting  we  understand  the 
act  of  the  soul,  whereby  a  man  yields  himself  to  Christ  and  accepts  Him, 
entrusting  Him  with  body  and  soul,  as,  e.g.,  one  man  entrusts  his  money 

•  Brakel  and  Comrie  were  celebrated  Dutch  theologians  in  the  eigh- 
teenth century. — Trans. 


BRAKEL   AND    COMRIE  391 

to  another,  or  as  one  entrusts  himself  to  and  leans  on  the  strong  shoulders 
of  the  man  that  carries  him  across  a  stream. 

"Second,  that  such  trust  necessarily  requires  a  previous  knowledge  of 
evangelical  truth  and  assent  to  its  credibility ;  and  that,  after  that,  faith 
exercises  itself  on  and  by  its  promises. 

"We  now  answer  the  question  already  stated  as  follows :  True,  saving 
faith  IS  not  the  act  of  the  mind  assenting  to  evangelical  truth,  but  the 
trusting  of  the  heart  to  be  saved  by  Christ  on  the  ground  of  His  voluntary 
offering  of  Himself  to  sinners  and  of  the  promises  to  them  that  trust 
in  Him.  And  we  say  also  that  faith  has  its  seat,  not  in  the  tinder- 
standing,  but  in  the  will ;  not  being  the  assent  to  the  truth  it  can  not  be 
in  the  understanding,  and  since  it  is  trust  it  must  have  its  seat  in  the 
will. 

"The  truth  of  what  we  have  said  is  evident: 

"  First,  from  the  name  itself.  What  we  call '  to  believe  '  Scripture  calls 
'to  trust,'  'to  confide,'  'to  entrust.'  Speaking  of  divine  things  revealed 
to  us  in  the  Word  alone,  we  must  not  be  confined  to  our  own  language, 
for  this  would  cause  many  to  fall  into  error ;  but  we  should  adapt  our 
speech  and  understanding  to  the  nature  and  character  of  the  original 
Hebrew  and  Greek.  For  in  our  language  '  to  believe  '  means  to  accept 
promises  and  the  narrative  of  events  on  the  strength  of  another  man's 
word  ;  but  according  to  the  force  of  the  original  languages  the  words,  -laTtvu, 
VP^r^.,  ''?,3,  naf,  IDD^  are  translated  not  only  '  to  believe, '  but '  to  trust, '  '  to 
entrust, '  '  to  lean  upon. '  They  are  used,  not  to  denote  the  nature  of  trust, 
but  by  trusting  yielding  oneself  to  Christ,  relying  on  Him. 

"Secondly,  the  Scripture  ascribes  the  act  of  faith  to  the  heart:  'With 
the  heart  man  believeth  unto  righteousness'  (Rom.  x.  10);  'If  thou  be- 
lievest  with  all  thine  heart,  thou  mayest.  And  he  said,  I  believe  that 
Jesus  Christ  is  the  Son  of  God  '  (Acts  viii.  37).  Trusting  and  believing 
are  both  acts  of  the  heart,  the  will.  If  it  be  said  that  the  heart  refers  also 
to  the  understanding,  we  answer,  very  rarely,  and  even  then  it  refers  not 
to  the  understanding  alone,  but  also  to  the  will,  or  to  the  soul  with  all  its 
workings. 

"Thirdly,  if  the  act  of  faith  did  consist  in  the  assent  of  the  mind  to  the 
truth,  it  would  be  possible  to  have  saving  faith  without  accepting  Christ, 
without  trusting  Him  ;  and  you  may  know  and  acknowledge  Christ  as 
the  Savior  as  long  as  you  please,  but  what  union  and  communion  with 
Christ  does  that  afford?  To  accept  Christ  and  to  trust  and  lean  on  Him 
would  be  only  an  effect  of  faith,  but  an  effect  does  not  complete  the  being 
of  a  thing  which  is  complete  before  the  effect ;  and  saving  faith  would  not 
differ  from  historic  faith,  but  be  the  same  in  its  nature.  For  historic  faith 
is  also  the  assent  of  the  mind  to  the  truth  of  the  Gospel,  and  even  the 
devils  and  the  unconverted  have  this  faith.     If  it  be  said  that  the  knowl- 


392  FAITH 

edge  of  the  one  is  spiritual  and  that  of  the  other  is  not,  we  answer:  (i) 
While  it  is  true  that  the  knowledge  of  the  converted  is  different  from  that 
of  the  unconverted,  yet  the  matter  remains  the  same.  Their  historical 
knowledge,  if  assented  to,  is  historic  faith  in  the  one  as  well  as  in  the  other. 
(2)  The  Scripture  never  makes  the  spirituality  of  historic  knowledge  the 
distinctive  feature  of  saving  faith.  (3)  This  is  certain  that  the  knowledge 
of  faith  of  an  unconverted  person  is  not  spiritual.  And  from  faith  itself 
one  can  never  ascertain  whether  he  truly  believes  ;  this  he  can  learn  only 
from  the  fruits,  and  that  would  be  altogether  wrong. 

"Fourthly,  saving  faith  believes  in  God,  in  Christ,  and  does  not  stop 
at  the  Word,  but  through  the  Word  reaches  the  Person  of  Christ  and  trusts 
in  Him.  '  Neither  do  I  pray  for  these  alone,  but  for  them  also  who  shall 
believe  on  Me,  through  iJieir  word'  (John  xvii.  20).  This  alone  gives 
faith  its  point,  nature,  and  perfection ;  wherefore  Scripture  says  that  sa- 
ving faith  is  to  believe  in  God,  in  Christ :  '  Believe  on  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ 
and  thou  shalt  be  saved'  (Acts  xvi.  31).  To  believe  in  Christ  is  faith 
itself  and  not  the  fruit  of  faith,  which  it  must  be  if  faith  be  mere  knowl- 
edge and  assent. 

"  Fifthly,  it  is  faith  itself  that  unites  the  soul  to  Christ,  appropriates 
the  promises,  satisfies  the  conscience,  gives  access  to  the  throne  of  grace 
and  boldness  to  call  Him  Father  (Ephes.  iii.  17 ;  John  iii.  36 ;  Rom.  v.  i ; 
Ephes.  iii.  12) .  But  mere  assent  to  the  truth  can  not  do  any  of  these  things. 
You  may  assent  as  long  as  you  please,  but  that  will  never  make  a  single 
promise  your  own ;  it  will  not  unite  the  soul  to  Christ,  nor  will  it  give 
boldness  to  call '  Abba,  Father. '  Hence  mere  assent  is  not  saving  faith. 
It  may  be  said  that  it  is  the  work  of  the  assenting  mind  to  accept  Christ 
and  to  trust  in  Him,  and  so  the  above-mentioned  results  flow  from  the 
assent  of  the  truth.  But  I  answer :  (i)  That  mere  assent  as  such  can  not 
have  such  results,  but  that  they  are  its  fruits  ;  that  the  assent  must  first 
work  acceptance  and  trust  in  Christ ;  hence  it  is  the  form  of  faith,  and  not 
its  nature.  Moreover,  Scripture  ascribes  all  these  things  to  faith  itself, 
not  to  its  fruits.  (2)  The  same  may  be  said  of  the  knowledge  of  the  mys- 
teries of  the  Gospel,  that  it  has  the  same  effect,  that  this  also  unites  to 
Christ,  appropriates  the  promises,  etc.  ;  but  since  this  would  be  absurd,  it 
is  also  absurd  to  say  that  mere  assent  works  these  things.  And  therefore 
it  is  certain  that  saving  faith  is  not  assent,  but  trust. 

"Sixthly,  the  opposite  of  saving  faith  is  not  the  rejection  of  the  truth 
of  the  Gospel,  but  failure  to  trust  in  Christ.  '  He  that  believeth  on  the 
Son  ' :  •  He  that  obeyeth  not  the  Son  '  (John  iii.  36,  Dutch  Translation)  ; 
'Let  not  your  heart  be  troubled — believe  also  in  me'  (John  xiv.  i)  ; 
•Where  is  thy  faith?  '  (Luke  viii.  25).  In  the  last  text  faith  is  contrasted 
with  fear.     Hence  true  faith  is  not  assent,  but  trust." 

Brakel's  characteristic  is  that  he  considers  faith,  not  as  an  in- 


BRAKEL   AND    COMRIE  393 

herent  habit,  but  as  an  outgoing  act  of  the  heart ;  and,  in  connec- 
tion with  this,  that  the  organ  of  faith  and  its  seat  are  not  in  the 
understanding,  but  chiefly  in  the  will. 

Comrie,  on  the  other  hand,  taught  that  faith  is  the  increated  and 
inherent  habit,  the  principal  moment  of  which  is  to  \}q  persuaded. 

In  his  "  Explanation  of  the  Heidelberg  Catechism"  (ii.,  312)  we 
read: 

"The  question, 'What  is  true  faith?'  is  very  important,  deserving 
most  careful  consideration ;  for  they  only  that  have  true  faith  can  be 
saved.  For  altho  in  faith  itself  there  is  no  inherent  saving  power,  God 
has  established  such  a  connection  between  salvation  and  the  imparted 
faith,  that  without  the  latter  no  person  young  or  old  can  be  saved.  Chil- 
dren as  well  as  adults  must  hereby  be  incorporated  into  Christ,  for  there 
is  no  salvation  in  any  other. 

"This  question  is  terribly  wrested  and  distorted  by  those  that  always 
speak  of  faith  as  an  act  or  acts.  Reading  the  definition  of  faith  (Heidel- 
berg Catechism,  question  21),  they  say  that  this  describes,  not  the  nature 
and  character  of  faith,  but  its  perfection  and  highest  degree.  We  will 
see  how  the  Reformers  have  defined  faith  as  an  instrument  according 
to  the  true  foundation  of  the  divine  Word,  in  harmony  with  the  doctrine 
of  free  grace  and  in  its  relation  to  justification,  and  not  according  to  the 
principle  of  works  of  the  semi-Pelagians,  as  many  now  do  ;  who  also  say 
that  the  authors  of  the  twenty-first  question  did  not  describe  the  true 
faith  of  which  the  preceding  answer  had  shortly  spoken,  showing  that 
they  only  can  be  saved  that  are  engrafted  into  Christ  and  receive  all  His 
benefits  by  a  true  faith  ;  but  that  they  described  the  works  of  faith.  But 
how  is  it  possible  that  the  authors  of  the  Catechism  could  forget  what 
they  had  just  stated  as  the  essential  condition  of  salvation  for  every  man, 
and  speak  of  a  high  and  perfect  degree  of  faith,  which  is  not  attained  by 
every  one  of  the  redeemed,  if  we  take  the  words  of  the  Catechism  in  their 
actual  sense?  No,  beloved,  the  question  refers  to  the  same  faith  of  which 
we  have  been  speaking,  the  faith  essential  to  all,  children  as  well  as 
adults;  i.e.,  the  imparted  faith,  which  we  have  defined  as  an  imparted 
faculty  and  habit,  wrought  in  the  elect  by  the  Holy  Ghost  with  re-crea- 
ting attd  irresistible  po7i'er,  when  they  are  incorporated  into  Christ ;  by 
which  they  receive  all  the  impressions  which  God  the  Holy  Ghost  imparts 
unto  them  through  the  Word  {regarding  children  in  a  manner  unknown 
to  us) ,  and  by  which  they  are  active  according  to  the  nature  and  the 
contents  of  the  Word,  the  objects  of  which  are  revealed  to  their  souls. 
Hence  the  reality  or  sincerity  of  the  imparted  faith  does  not  depend  upon 
the  acts  of  faith,  but  the  sincerity  of  these  acts  depends  upon  the  reality 


394  FAITH 

and  sincerity  of  the  faculty  or  habit  from  which  they  spring ;  so  that, 
altho  no  acts  spring  from  it,  as  in  deceased  elect  children,  yet  they  possess 
the  true  faith,  from  which  acts  would  have  sprung  if  they  had  been  able 
to  employ  their  rational  faculties. 

"Moreover,  the  imparted  faith  develops  all  its  powers,  not  in  an 
instant,  but  gradually ;  and  altho  one  act  does  not  appear  as  strongly 
pronounced  as  another,  this  is  no  sign  of  insincerity ;  but  it  is  the  sign 
that  such  act  or  acts  are  not  apparent.  E.g. ,  the  sense  of  taste  can  be  per- 
fect altho  one  never  tasted  sweetness,  and  to  form  an  idea  of  sweetness  is 
then  impossible ;  yet  when  sweetness  is  tasted  the  idea  is  not  produced 
by  a  new  faculty  to  taste  sweetness,  but  by  a  new  object,  which  excites 
the  faculty  and  produces  the  idea  which  was  not  possessed  before. 

"The  same  is  true  of  the  inwrought  faith  ;  with  reference  to  the  habit 
of  faith  it  is  imparted  and  perfected  by  the  supernatural  operation  of  the 
Holy  Spirit  in  a  moment,  but  it  does  not  act  until  the  soul  becomes  con- 
scious of  it.  And  this  is  why  some  men,  who  by  reason  of  the  bondage  of 
fear  of  death  all  their  lifetime  were  never  assured  of  their  state  in  Christ, 
could  still  be  saved.  However,  we  do  not  dwell  upon  this  point ;  we  wish 
only  to  say  that  the  answer  describes  the  real  nature  and  character  of  im- 
parted/"<zzV^  as  a  faculty,  whereby  we  receive  the  knowledge  of  all  that 
God  has  revealed  to  us  in  His  Word,  and  as  a  confidence  that  Christ  and 
His  grace  are  freely  given  us  of  God. 

"Hence  it  is  evident — 

"First,  that  faith  consists  in  a  conviction  or  persuasion.  This  is  the 
genus  of  faith.  Faith,  whether  human  or  divine,  is  impossible  without  a 
conviction  of  the  mind  of  the  reality  of  the  matter  which  is  believed. 
When  this  is  lacking  there  is  no  faith,  but  only  a  guess,  a  fancy,  or  a  sup- 
position. 

"Secondly  that  this  conviction  or  persuasion  is  the  product  or  act,  not 
of  faith  as  such,  but  of  the  testimony  which  is  so  convincing  and  persua- 
ding that  its  truth  can  not  be  doubted.  This  is  the  nature  of  all  persuasion  ; 
the  soul  in  order  to  be  persuaded  does  not  act,  but  merely  receives  the 
proofs  of  the  matter  in  question,  and  becomes  so  deeply  convinced  that  it 
is  no  longer  at  liberty  either  to  reject  or  accept  that  conviction,  but  must 
yield  itself  with  greatest  willingness  to  the  truth. 

"Thirdly,  that  according  to  the  degree  of  clearness  wherewith  the 
divine  testimony,  as  with  an  argument,  impresses  the  itnparted faith 
concerning  the  matters  of  our  lost  estate  and  the  way  of  salvation,  the 
conviction  of  the  truth  or  of  the  contents  of  the  testimony  shall  be  more 
or  less  firm  and  persuasive. 

"Lastly,  that  as  faith  is  wrought  by  a  testimony,  so  it  is  also  tnade 
active  by  a  testimony  of  God' s  Word,  rendered  by  an  operation  of  the 
Holy  spirit.     Being  therefore  in  the  adult,  the  daughter  of  the  Word 


BRAKEL   AND    COMRIE  395 

{Bathkol,  filia  vocis),  it  is  also  from  beginning  to  end  subject  to  the 
Word,  obeying  and  in  all  things  following  it.  For  among  the  Reformed 
this  is  an  established  rule,  that  through  the  operation  of  the  Holy  Spirit 
we  first  receive  a  faculty,  from  which  subsequent  activities  proceed  ;  and 
that  this  imparted  faculty  does  not  work  of  its  own  energy  except  it  be 
wrought  upon  {acii  agimus  :  being  enabled  we  act)  by  the  Word  and  the 
omnipotent  power  of  the  Holy  Spirit  accompanying  that  Word,  in  which 
and  by  which  it  enters  and  penetrates  the  soul  as  its  instrument  and 
organ,  to  excite  the  soul  to  activity  and  to  flow  into  that  activity. 

"  Concerning  faith  itself  it  should  be  remembered — 

"  First,  that  nearly  all  the  old  and  private  confessions  of  various  mar- 
tyrs, since  the  year  1527,  have  thus  understood  the  imparted  faith,  as  our 
Heidelberg  theologians  describe  it,  in  the  answer  of  the  twentieth  question 
in  general,  and  in  that  of  the  twenty-first  more  particularly. 

"Secondly,  we  must  call  your  Christian  attention  to  the  acts  which  flow 
from  the  imparted  faith.  Theologians  entertain  different  opinions  regard- 
ing the  number  of  these  acts  of  faith,  and  which  is  the  proper  act  of  faith. 
Just  a  word  regarding  both.  In  regard  to  the  number,  the  celebrated 
Witzius  mentions  nine :  three  preceding,  three  proper,  and  three  that  fol- 
low. We  do  not  object ;  every  man  is  free  to  express  himself  as  he 
pleases.  Yet  we  prefer  the  ancient  method  which  holds  that  faith  consists 
of  three  things  ;  knowledge,  assent,  and  confidetice.  We  have  no  doubt 
that  all  that  God's  Word  teaches  regarding  faith  can  easily  be  arranged 
under  each  of  these  three  acts.  Concerning  the  proper  act  of  faith,  which 
is  called  the  actus fortnalis  Ji del,  i.e.,  the  formal  act  of  faith,  the  following 
opinions  are  held:  (i)  that  it  is  the  assent ;  (2)  that  it  \sih.e  coming  to 
Christ;  (3)  th.Q  accepting  of  Christ;  (4)  a.  certain  confidence  in  Christ ; 
and  lastly,  that  it  is  love.  The  discussions  of  the  theologians  on  this  point 
are  violent,  and  many  tracts  are  written  by  the  various  parties  either  to 
establish  their  own  opinions  or  to  refute  those  of  others. 

"  Beloved,  we  judge  that  we  could  let  this  matter  pass  without  noticing 
it,  were  it  not  for  the  fact  that  this  definition  may  favor  the  semi-Pelagians 
in  this  respect,  who  hold  that  faith  is  an  act,  and  that  it  receives  its  formal 
being  by  an  act:  'Forma  dat  esse  rei '  (the  form  gives  existence  to  the 
matter).  And  seeing  that  some  begin  to  deviate,  we  say :  That  no  act  or 
acts  can  give  faith  its  form  or  being.  For  this  would  imply  that  the  im- 
parted faith  which  the  Holy  Spirit  works  in  the  elect  is  an  unformed 
faith,  lacking  that  which  is  essential  to  its  being.  And  this  is  absurd, 
since  by  this  implied  '  actus  formalis  '  there  is  ascribed  to  us  more  than  to 
the  Holy  Spirit ;  yea,  a  g^eat  deal  more,  inasmuch  as  the  form  is  more 
excellent  than  the  material.  According  to  this  supposition  He  imparts 
to  us  only  the  material  of  faith,  without  its  form  ;  and  by  our  act  or  acts 
we  give  form  to  that  formless  faith." 


396  FAITH 

Our  principal  aim  in  citing  was  that  the  student  might  receive 
the  contrast  from  the  very  lips  of  these  two  men,  and  so  discover 
that  the  slight  deviation  of  Amesius  from  Calvin  and  Beza  in 
Brakel  already  inclines  too  much  to  the  subjective;  and  that  the 
objective  character  of  saving  grace  is  sufficiently  covered  only  by  the 
line  of  Augustine,  Thomas,  Calvin,  Zanchius,  Voetius,  Comrie. 
Brakel  was  right  in  opposing  the  petrified  dogmatism  of  his  day. 
But  when  he  systematized  his  opposition  he  went  too  far  in  that 
direction.  In  exactly  the  same  manner  as  Kohlbrugge  was  right 
when,  in  opposition  to  his  contemporaries,  he  maintained  the  ob- 
jective as  rigidly  as  possible,  while  his  followers  go  wrong  when 
they  systematize  his  then  necessary  opposition. 

Following  the  line  of  Augustine,  Calvin,  Voetius,  Comrie,  one 
goes  safest. 


XXXVII. 
Faith  in  the  Sacred  Scriptures. 

"  With  the  heart  man  believeth  unto 
righteousness,  and  with  the  mouth 
confession  is  made  unto  salva- 
tion."— Rom.  X.  lo. 

Calvin  says  beautifully  and  comprehensively  that  the  object  of 
saving  faith  is  none  other  than  the  Mediator,  and  invariably  in  the 
garments  of  the  Sacred  Scriptures.  This  should  be  accepted  un- 
conditionally. Saving  faith  is  possible,  therefore,  only  in  sinful 
men  and  so  long  as  they  remain  sinful. 

To  suppose  that  saving  faith  existed  already  in  Paradise  is  to 
destroy  the  order  of  things.  In  a  sense  there  was  no  need  of  salva- 
tion in  Paradise,  because  there  was  pure  and  undisturbed  felicity ; 
and  for  the  development  of  this  felicity  into  still  greater  glory,  not 
faith,  but  works,  was  the  appointed  instrument.  Faith  belongs  to 
the  "  Covenant  of  Grace,"  and  to  that  covenant  alone. 

Hence  it  may  not  be  said  that  Jesus  had  saving  faith.  For 
Jesus  was  no  sinner,  and  therefore  could  not  have  "  that  assured 
confidence  that  not  only  to  others,  but  to  Him  also,  was  given  the 
righteousness  of  the  Mediator."  We  have  only  to  connect  the  name 
of  Jesus  with  the  clear  and  transparent  description  of  saving  faith 
by  the  Heidelberg  Catechism  to  show  how  foolish  it  is  for  the  Ethi- 
cal theologians  to  explain  the  words,  "  Jesus,  the  Author  and  Fin- 
isher of  our  faith,"  as  tho  He  had  saving  faith  like  every  child 
of  God. 

Hence  saving  faith  is  unthinkable  in  heaven.  Faith  is  saving; 
and  he  that  is  saved  has  obtained  the  end  of  faith.  He  no  longer 
walks  by  faith,  but  by  sight.  It  should  therefore  be  thoroughly 
understood  that  saving  faith  refers  only  to  the  sinner,  and  that  Christ 
in  the  garments  of  the  Sacred  Scripture  is  its  only  object. 

Two  things  must,  therefore,  be  carefully  distinguished:  faith 
in  the  testimony  concerning  a  person,  and  faith  in  ^aX person  himself. 

Let  us  illustrate.     A  ship  is  ready  to  sail,  but  lacks  a  captain. 


398  FAITH 

Two  men  present  themselves  to  the  shipowner;  both  are  provided 
with  excellent  testimonials  signed  by  creditable  and  trustworthy- 
persons.  Of  the  absolute  truth  of  these  testimonials  the  shipowner 
is  thoroughly  convinced.  And  yet  in  spite  of  this  testimony  one  is 
engaged  and  the  other  dismissed.  Conversing  with  both,  the  owner 
has  found  the  first  a  very  reasonable  fellow,  readily  allowing  him, 
as  the  owner  of  the  ship,  to  issue  orders;  in  fact,  as  captain  he 
would  have  nothing  to  say.  But  the  other,  a  real  sailor,  demanded 
absolute  control  of  the  ship,  otherwise  he  would  not  take  the  re- 
sponsibility. And,  since  the  shipowner  enjoyed  issuing  orders,  he 
preferred  the  meek  and  tractable  captain  and  dismissed  the  rough 
sailor.  Consequently  the  tame  commander,  obeying  orders,  lost 
the  ship  the  first  voyage,  while  the  rival  ship  commanded  by  that 
Jack-tar  returned  home  laden  with  a  rich  cargo. 

We  distinguish  here  two  kinds  of  faith.  First,  faith  or  no  faith 
in  testimony  presented ;  second,  faith  or  no  faith  in  the  persons  to 
whom  this  testimony  refers.  In  the  illustration,  faith  of  the  first 
kind  was  perfect.  Those  testimonies  were  accepted  as  genuine; 
the  shipowner  had  perfect  faith  in  the  signatures.  And  yet  it  did 
not  follow  that  he  was  immediately  ready  to  entrust  his  property 
to  either  one  of  these  captains.  This  required  another  faith;  not 
only  faith  in  the  contents  of  those  papers,  but  faith  also  that  these 
contents  would  prove  true  regarding  the  command  of  his  ship. 
Hence  he  carefully  considered  both  men,  and  discovering  that  the 
one  left  no  room  for  his  self-assertion,  it  was  natural  that  he  en- 
gaged the  other,  who  flattered  his  egotism.  And,  influenced  by 
this  egotism,  he  did  not  place  that  second  faith  in  the  right  person. 
His  neighbor,  not  so  egotistically  inclined,  kept  the  end  in  view, 
had  faith  in  the  bold  seaman,  and  his  profits  were  almost  fabulous. 
Hence  both  men  had  unconditional  faith  in  the  testimonies ;  but  the 
one,  denying  himself,  had  also  faith  in  the  excellent  captain,  and 
the  other,  refusing  to  deny  himself,  had  not. 

Apply  this  to  our  relation  to  Christ.  That  vessel  is  our  soul. 
It  is  tossing  upon  the  waves  and  needs  a  pilot.  The  voyage  is  long, 
and  we  ask:  "Who  will  safely  pilot  it?"  Then  a  testimony  is  laid 
before  us  concerning  One  wonderfully  skilled  in  the  art  of  safely 
guiding  souls  into  the  desired  haven.  That  testimony  is  Sacred 
Scripture,  which  throughout  all  its  pages  offers  but  one,  ever-con- 
tinued, divine  testimony  concerning  the  unique  excellence  of  the 
Christ  as  leading  souls  to  the  safe  haven.     With  this  testimony  be- 


FAITH    IN   THE   SACRED    SCRIPTURES       399 

fore  us,  it  is  for  us  to  decide  whether  we  will  accept  it  or  not.  Its 
rejection  ends  the  matter,  and  Jesus  will  never  be  the  Guide  of  our 
soul.  But,  accepting  it,  saying,  "  We  believe  all  that  is  written," 
we  can  proceed.  This  confession  implies:  (i)  faith  in  the  genuine- 
ness of  the  testimony;  (2)  faith  in  God  who  gave  it;  and  (3)  faith 
in  the  truth  of  its  contents. 

But  this  is  not  saving  faith,  only  faith  in  the  testimony.  To 
believe  that  it  will  prove  true  in  our  case,  in  our  own  persons,  is 
quite  different.  This  depends,  not  upon  the  testimony,  but  upon 
whether  we  will  subtnit  ourselves  to  Him  of  whom  it  speaks.  Altho 
this  Captain  pilots  souls  safely  across  very  deep  waters,  He  does 
Tiot  pilot  all  souls.  They  must  be  able  and  willing  to  submit  them- 
selves to  Him  according  to  His  demands.  The  unwilling  are  left 
behind,  and,  trying  to  pilot  themselves,  they  miserably  perish. 
Hence  we  must  submit.  And  this  requires  the  laying  aside  of  all 
our  self-conceit,  the  utter  casting  out  of  self.  So  long  as  self  stands 
in  the  way.  we  refuse  Him  as  our  spiritual  Guide ;  nor  do  we  be- 
lieve in  His  power.  But  as  soon  as  self  is  cast  out,  the  ego  si- 
lenced, and  the  soul  abandons  itself  to  Him,  the  second  faith  awa- 
kens, and,  upon  bended  knee,  we  cry:  "  My  Lord  and  my  God!" 

It  is  exactly  as  our  Catechism  beautifully  and  comprehensively 
expresses  it :  "  That  true  faith  consists  of  two  things,  first,  a  certain  * 
knowledge  whereby  I  hold  for  truth  all  that  God  has  revealed  to 
us  in  His  Word ;  but  also  an  assured  confidence,  which  is  a  firm  and 
stedfast  confidence,  which  the  Holy  Ghost  works  by  the  Gospel  in 
my  heart ;  that  not  only  to  others,  but  to  me  also,  remission  of  sin, 
everlasting  righteousness,  and  salvation  are  freely  given  of  God ; 
merely  of  grace,  only  for  the  sake  of  Christ's  merits." 

Examining  more  closely  what  these  two  points  have  in  common, 
we  find,  not  that  the  one  is  knowledge  and  the  other  confidence,  but 
that  both  consist  in  being  perstiaded. 

With  the  testimony  laid  before  him.  the  natural  man  is  inclined 
to  reject  it.  He  has  many  objections.  "Is  it  genuine?"  "  Was  it 
not  affected  by  various  alterations?  Can  I  rely  on  the  truth  of  its 
contents?"  For  a  long  time  he  continues  his  resistance.  He  says: 
"  No  man  can  ever  convince  me ;  I  believe  a  great  deal,  but  not 
that  impossible  Scripture."  But  the  Holy  Spirit  continues  His 
work.     He  shows  ^lim  that  he  is  wrong;  and,  altho  still  resisting, 

*"Certa  fudicia."     Not  a  certain  knowledge,  but  certain  knowledge. 


400  FAITH 

it  becomes  like  a  fire  in  his  bones  until  opposition  is  made  impos- 
sible, and  he  confesses  that  God  is  true  and  His  testimony  genuine. 

However,  this  is  not  all.  He  still  lacks  the  second  faith :  whether 
this  applies  to  him  personally.  He  begins  with  denying  it.  "  It 
does  not  mean  me,"  he  says;  "Jesus  does  not  save  a  man  like  my- 
self." But  here  the  Holy  Spirit  meets  him  again.  He  brings  him 
back  to  the  Word.  He  holds  the  image  of  the  saved  sinner  before 
him  until  he  recognizes  himself  in  that  image.  And  tho  he  still 
objects,  "It  can  not  be  so;  I  only  deceive  myself,"  yet  the  Holy 
Spirit  persists  in  persuading  him  until,  wholly  convinced,  he  ap- 
propriates Christ  to  himself  and  acknowledges :  "  Blessed  be  God, 
that  saved  sinner  «;«/."  Wherefore  it  is  not  first  knou>ledge  and 
then  confidence,  but  both  are  an  inward  persuasion  by  the  Holy 
Ghost.  K.n^\h.QXi\axi'C!yiXS  persuaded  believes.  He  that  is  persuaded 
of  the  truth  of  the  divine  testimony  concerning  the  Guide  of  souls 
believes  all  that  is  revealed  in  the  Scripture.  And  being  also  per- 
suaded that  the  saved  sinner  described  in  Scripture  is  himself,  he 
believes  in  Christ  as  his  Surety. 

Hence  the  peculiar  feature  of  faith  in  both  its  stages  is  to  be 
persuaded.  Saving  faith  is  a  persuasion,  wrought  by  the  Holy 
Spirit,  that  the  Scripture  is  a  true  testimony  concerning  the  salva- 
tion of  souls,  and  that  this  salvation  includes  my  soul. 

Is  the  Heidelberg  Catechism  wrong,  then,  in  speaking  of  knowl- 
edge and  of  confidence?  No;  but  it  should  be  noticed  that  it 
speaks,  not  of  faith's  origin,  but  of  its  fruit  and  exercise,  it  being 
already  established.  Being  persuaded  that  the  Scripture  is  true, 
and  believing  the  divine  testimony  concerning  Christ,  we  at  once 
possess  certain  and  undoubted  knowledge  regarding  these  things. 
And  being  persuaded  that  that  salvation  includes  my  soul,  I  possess 
by  virtue  of  this  persuasion  a  firm  and  assured  confidence  that  the 
treasure  of  Christ's  redemption  is  also  my  own. 

Hence  faith  has  three  stages:  (i)  kno^vkdge  of  the  testimony ; 
(2)  certainty  of  the  things  revealed ;  and  (3)  persuasion  that  this  con- 
cerns me  personally.  These  used  to  be  called  knowledge,  assent,  and 
confidence;  and  we  are  willing  to  adopt  them,  but  they  must  be  used 
carefully.  By  the  first  must  be  understood  nothing  more  than  the 
obtaining  of  knowledge  independently  of  faith.  Hence  the  Hei- 
delberg Catechism  omits  this  as  not  belonging  to  faith  proper,  and 
mentions  only  assent  and  confidence.  For  that  certain  knowledge  of 
which  it  speaks  is  not  what  the  scholastics  put  in  the  foreground 


FAITH    IN    THE    SACRED    SCRIPTURES      401 

as  knowledge,  but  what  they  call  assent.  Knmvledge  is  not  the  em- 
phatic word,  but  certainty  *  It  is  not  the  knowledge,  but  the  cer- 
tainty of  the  knowledge  that  belongs  to  the  true  faith. 

Wherefore  some  used  to  distinguish  knowledge  and  assent,  and 
treated  them  separately.  For  it  should  be  remembered  that  the 
unconverted  do  not  understand  the  Scripture,  nor  can  they  read  its 
testimony.  Not  being  born  of  water  and  of  the  Spirit,  they  can  not 
see  the  Kingdom  of  God.  The  natural  man  does  not  understand 
spiritual  things.  Hence  we  say  emphatically,  that  the  knowledge 
preceding  faith  and  to  which  faith  must  assent  implies  the  illumi- 
nation of  the  Holy  Spirit.  Only  in  that  light  can  one  see  the  glory 
of  Scripture  and  apprehend  its  beauty;  without  this  it  is  but  a 
stumbling-block  to  him.  Yet  it  is  no  part  of  faith,  but  only  part 
of  the  Spirit's  work  making  faith  possible. 

A  truth  or  a  person  is  not  faith,  but  the  object  of  faith ;  faith  itself 
is  to  be  persuaded  when,  all  opposition  ended,  the  soul  has  obtained 
undoubted  assurance.  Hence  the  absolute  absurdity  of  speaking 
of  faith  cut  loose  from  Scripture,  or  directed  upon  anything  but 
Christ ;  or  of  calling  faith  a  universal  inclination  of  the  soul,  crying 
after  salvation,  to  quench  its  thirst.  All  this  robs  faith  of  its  char- 
acter. When  I  say,  "  I  believe,"  I  mean  thereby  that  this  or  that 
is  to  me  an  undoubted  fact.  In  order  to  believe  one  must  be 
assured,  convinced,  persuaded — otherwise  there  can  be  no  faith;  and 
the  fruit  of  this  being  persuaded  is  rich  knowledge,  glorious  con- 
fidence, and  access  to  the  Lord. 

However,  it  should  be  noticed  that  we  have  spoken  of  faith  only 
a.s  it  ihovis  \t^e\i  above  the  ground.  But  that  is  not  suiificient.  We 
must  still  examine  the  root,  the  fibers  of  faith  in  the  soul.  We 
must  examine  the  faculty  that  enables  the  soul  to  believe.  Of  this 
in  the  next  article. 

*  "  Carta  fudicia."    Not  a  certain  knowledge,  but  certain  knowledge. 
36 


XXXVIII. 
The  Faculty  of  Faith. 

"As  many  as  are  led  by  the  Spirit 
of  God,  they  are  the  sons  of 
God." — Rom.  viii.  14. 

Saving  faith  should  always  be  understood  as  a  disposition  of 
man's  spiritual  being  by  which  he  can  become  assured  that  the 
Christ  after  the  Scripture,  the  only  Savior,  is  his  Savior. 

We  write  purposely  a  "  disposition "  by  which  he  can  become  as- 
sured. As  water  is  in  the  pipes,  altho  not  running  just  now,  or  as 
gas  is  in  the  tubes,  altho  not  burning,  so  by  virtue  of  regeneration 
is  faith  present  as  a  disposition  in  man's  spiritual  being,  even  tho 
he  believes  not  yet,  or  believes  no  more.  If  the  house  is  connected 
with  the  city's  water-works  the  water  can  run;  but  for  this  reason 
it  does  not  always  run ;  nor  does  the  gas  always  bum.  That  in 
your  house  the  water  can  flow,  and  gas  can  burn,  is  the  difference 
between  your  dwelling  and  your  neighbor's  which  is  not  so  con- 
nected. 

There  is  a  similar  difference  between  the  regenerate  and  the  un- 
regenerate;  that  is,  between  him  who  is  united  to  Jesus  and  him 
7iot  so  united.  The  difference  is  not  that  the  former  believes  and 
always  believes,  but  only  this,  that  he  can  believe.  For  the  unre- 
generate  can  not  believe;  he  has  purposely  destroyed  the  precious 
and  divine  gift  whereby  he  could  have  joined  himself  to  the  life  of 
God.  God  gave  him  eyes  to  see,  but  he  has  purposely  blinded  him- 
self. Hence  he  does  not  see  Jesus.  The  living  Christ  does  not 
exist  for  him.  Not  so  the  regenerate  child  of  God.  True,  he  also 
is  a  sinner;  he  also  has  purposely  blinded  himself,  but  an  opera- 
tion is  performed  upon  him,  restoring  his  eyesight,  so  that  now  he 
can  see.  And  this  is  the  \m^\&ri\.&^  faculty  of  faith.  This  faculty 
touches  the  consciousness.  As  soon  as  the  fact  that  Christ  is  the 
only  Savior  and  my  Savior,  as  an  undoubted,  firmly  established,  and 


THE    FACULTY   OF    FAITH  403 

fundamental  truth,  is  introduced  to  my  consciousness — which  is  the 
clear  representation  of  my  whole  being,  and  is  perfectly  adapted 
and  joined  to  it — /  believe. 

But  this  truth  does  not  suit  the  consciousness  of  the  natural 
man.  He  may  insert  it  now  and  then  by  means  of  a  temporary 
or  historical  faith,  but  only  as  a  foreign  element,  and  his  nature 
immediately  reacts  against  it,  in  precisely  the  same  manner  as  the 
blood  and  tissue  react  against  a  sliver  in  one's  finger.  For  this 
reason  a  temporary  faith  can  never  save  a  man,  but,  on  the  con- 
trary, it  injures  him ;  for  it  causes  his  soul  to  fester. 

The  human  consciousness  as  it  is  by  nature,  and  the  Christ  after 
the  Scripture,  are  in  principle  diametrically  opposed.  The  one  ex- 
cludes the  other.  That  which  suits  and  fits  the  consciousness  of  the 
natural  man  is  the  persistent  denial  of  Christ.  This  natural  con- 
sciousness is  the  representation  of  his  sinful  existence ;  and  since 
an  unconverted  sinner  always  asserts  himself  and  thinks  himself 
savable,  and  proposes  to  save  himself,  he  can  not  tolerate  Christ. 
Christ  is  unthinkable  to  him;  therefore  he  can  not  acknowledge 
Him.  No,  there  is  no  need  of  Him ;  he  can  save,  too,  with  Jesus, 
or  just  as  well  as  Jesus,  or  after  the  example  of  Jesus;  wherefore 
this  Jesus  is  by  no  means  the  only  Savior. 

But  if  the  Christ  after  the  Scripture  fits  his  consciousness,  that 
consciousness  must  have  been  changed  from  what  it  was  by  nature ; 
and  being  the  reflection  and  representation  of  his  being  and  all  that  it 
contains,  it  follows  that  to  make  room  for  Christ,  not  to  oblige 
Him,  but  from  his  own  absolute  necessity,  h\s  being  mnst  first  be 
changed.     Hence  a  twofold  change : 

First,  the  Jte7v  birth,  changing  the  position  of  his  inward  being. 

Second,  the  change  affecting  his  consciousness,  by  introducing 
the  disposition  to  accept  Christ.  And  this  disposition,  being  the 
organ  of  his  consciousness  whereby  he  can  do  this,  is  the  faculty 
of  faith. 

The  fathers  have  correctly  observed  that  this  disposition  im- 
parts itself  also  to  the  will.  And  it  can  not  be  otherwise.  The  will 
is  like  a  wheel  moving  the  anns  of  a  windmill.  In  sinless  Adam 
this  wheel  stood  squarely  upon  its  shaft,  turning  with  equal  ease 
to  the  right  and  to  the  left — i.e.,  it  moved  as  freely  toward  God  as 
toward  Satan.  But  in  the  sinner  this  wheel  is  partly  moved  from 
the  shaft,  so  that  it  can  turn  only  to  the  left.     When  he  wants  to 


404  FAITH 

sin.  he  can  do  so.  In  this  direction  the  shaft  is  clear ;  he  has  the 
power  to  sin.  But  the  wheel  can  not  turn  the  other  way ;  a  little 
perhaps,  with  much  difficulty  and  much  squeaking,  but  never  suffi- 
ciently to  grind  corn.  The  working  of  his  will  can  never  produce 
any  saving  good.  He  can  not  make  the  wheel  of  his  life  run  with 
the  energy  of  the  will  toward  God. 

Even  after  he  is  inwardly  changed,  and  the  faith  faculty  has  en- 
tered his  consciousness,  it  is  useless  so  long  as  the  powerless  will 
enters  the  consciousness  to  expel  his  Christian  assurance.  There- 
fore the  will  must  be  divinely  wrought  upon  to  serve  the  changed 
consciousness.  Hence  the  disposition  of  faith  is  imparted  not  only 
to  the  consciousness,  but  also  to  the  will,  to  adapt  itself  to  the 
Christ  of  the  Scripture.  The  will  of  the  saint  is  made  to  move 
again  freely  toward  God.  When  the  ego  is  turned  and  the  will 
changed,  then  only  can  the  new  disposition  enter  the  consciousness, 
to  be  assured  that  Christ  after  the  Scripture  is  the  only  Christ  and 
his  Christ. 

The  faculty  of  faith  is  therefore  something  complex.  It  can  not 
be  independent  from  the  consciousness  and  knowledge ;  for  it  im- 
plies a  change  of  man's  being  and  the  will's  liberty  to  move  toward 
God.  Hence  this  faculty  is  not  a  spontaneous  growth  from  the 
implanted  life,  neither  is  it  independent  of  it ;  but  as  a  disposition 
it  can  enter  us  only  after  regeneration,  and  even  then  it  must  be 
given  us  by  the  grace  of  God. 

Of  course,  the  man  in  whom  the  faculty  of  faith  begins  to  work 
believes  in  Scripture,  in  Christ,  and  in  his  own  salvation ;  but  with- 
out it  he  continues  to  the  end  to  object  against  Scripture,  Christ, 
and  his  own  salvation.  He  may  be  almost  convinced ;  wholly  con- 
vinced he  will  never  be.  This  is  temporary  faith,  historical  faith, 
faith  in  ideals,  but  never  saving  faith. 

But  if  a  man  has  received  this  disposition,  is  it  possible  for  him 
immediately  and  always  to  believe?  Surely  not,  no  more  than  a 
normal  infant  can  read,  write,  or  think  logically.  And  when  at  six- 
teen he  can  do  these  things,  it  is  owing  not  to  new  faculties  re- 
ceived since  his  birth,  but  to  the  development  of  those  born  in  him. 
A  new-born  child  of  God  possesses  the  faculty  to  believe ;  but  there 
is  no  immediate  and  actual  believing.  This  requires  something 
more.  As  a  child  can  not  learn  and  develop  without  teachers  and 
in  connection  with  his  own  environment,  so  the  faculty  of  faith  can 


THE    FACULTY   OF    FAITH  405 

not  be  exercised  without  the  guidance  of  the  Holy  Spirit  in  connec- 
tion with  the  contents  of  Scripture. 

How  this  was  effected  in  deceased  infants  we  can  not  tell ;  not 
because  the  Holy  Spirit  can  not  work  in  them  as  well  as  in  adults, 
but  because  they  do  not  know  the  Scripture.  However,  since  the 
Scriptures  testify  only  of  Christ,  He  may  have  a  way  to  bring  the 
not-thinking  child  into  connection  with  Christ,  as  He  provided 
Scripture  for  thinking  men. 

In  either  case,  the  faith  faculty  can  not  produce  anything  of 
itself,  but  must  be  stimulated  and  developed  by  the  Holy  Spirit's 
training  and  exercise,  gradually  learning  to  believe — a  training  con- 
tinued to  the  end ;  for  until  we  die  the  working  of  faith  increases 
in  strength,  development,  and  glory. 

But  this  is  not  all.  A  man  may  have  the  faculty  of  faith  fully 
developed  and  exercised,  but  it  does  not  follow  that  therefore  he 
always  believes.  On  the  contrary,  faith  may  be  interrupted  for  a 
season.  Hence  faith  should  not  be  called  the  breath  of  the  soul j 
for  when  a  man  ceases  to  breathe  he  dies.  No ;  the  faculty  of  faith 
is  more  like  the  power  of  a  tree  to  blossom  and  bear  fruit :  appar- 
ently dead  one  season,  and  beautiful  with  blossoms  the  next.  That 
I  possess  the  faculty  to  think  is  evident,  not  from  my  uninterrupted 
thinking,  for  when  asleep  I  do  not  think;  but  it  is  evident  from  my 
thinking  when  I  inust  think.  Even  so  with  the  faculty  of  faith, 
which  occupies  the  same  position  as  the  faculties  of  thinking,  speak- 
ing, etc. 

Regarding  these  faculties,  we  distinguish  three  things:  (i)  the 
faculty  itself;  (2)  its  necessary  development:  (3)  and  its  exercise 
when  sufficiently  stimulated.  Hence  we  notice  not  only  the  Spir- 
it's first  operation,  implanting  the  faith  faculty ;  nor  only  the  sec- 
ond, qualifying  that  faculty  for  exercise ;  but  also  the  third,  sti7nu- 
lating  and  calling  out  the  act  of  believing  whenever  it  pleases  Him. 

There  is  no  man  possessed  of  the  faith  faculty  but  the  Holy 
Spirit  has  thus  endowed  him.  There  is  no  man  enabled  by  this  fac- 
ulty to  believe  but  the  Holy  Spirit  has  also  qualified  that  faculty. 
Nor  is  there  a  man  using  this  qualification,  actually  believing,  un- 
less the   Holy  Spirit  has  wrought  this  in  him. 

Life  has  its  ups  and  downs.  We  see  it  in  our  love.  You  have  a 
child  whom  you  love  tenderly.  But  in  the  daily  life  you  do  not  al- 
ways feel  that  love,  and  sometimes  you  charge  yourself  with  being 


4o6  FAITH 

cold  and  without  warm  attachment  for  the  child.  But  let  some- 
body injure  him,  or  let  him  be  taken  ill — or  worse,  let  his  life  be  in 
danger — and  your  slumbering  love  will  at  once  be  aroused.  That 
love  did  not  come  to  you  from  without,  but  it  dwelt  in  the  depths 
of  your  soul,  slumbering  until  fully  awakened  by  the  sharp  sting 
of  sorrow.  The  same  applies  to  faith.  For  days  and  weeks  we 
may  have  to  reproach  ourselves  for  the  faithless  condition  of  our 
own  heart,  when  the  soul  seems  dry  and  dead,  as  tho  there  were  no 
bond  of  love  between  us  and  our  Savior.  But  lo !  the  Lord  reveals 
Himself  to  us,  or  distress  overwhelms  us,  or  the  earnestness  of  life 
suddenly  lays  hold  of  us,  and  at  once  that  apparently  dead  faith  is 
aroused  and  the  bond  of  Jesus's  love  is  strongly  felt. 

And  more  than  this:  inspired  by  love,  you  are  constantly  doing 
something  for  your  darling  without  saying :  "  I  do  this  or  that  for 
him  because  I  love  him  so  much."  So  also  regarding  faith:  saving 
faith  is  a  disposition  whose  activity  we  do  not  always  notice,  but 
like  other  faculties  it  works  continually,  its  functions  unnoticed. 
Hence  we  frequently  exercise  faith  without  being  specially  con- 
scious of  it.  We  prepare  ourselves  especially  to  think  or  speak 
when  special  occasion  calls  for  it ;  and  so  we  act  from  faith  with 
conscious  purpose  when,  peculiarly  circumstanced,  we  must  boldly 
stand  up  as  witnesses  or  make  some  important  decision. 

But  our  comfort  is  this,  that  faith's  saving  power  depends,  not 
upon  some  special  believing  act;  nor  upon  acts  less  conscious; 
nor  even  upon  the  acquired  ability  of  faith,  but  solely  upon  the 
fact  that  the  germ  of  faith  has  been  planted  in  the  soul.  Hence 
a  child  can  have  saving  faith,  even  tho  it  never  performed  a  single 
act  of  faith.  And  so  we  continue  saved,  even  tho  the  act  of  faith 
slumbers  for  a  season.  The  man,  once  endowed  with  saving  faith, 
is  saved  and  blessed.  And  when  by  and  by  the  act  of  faith  appears, 
he  is  not  saved  in  higher  degree,  but  it  is  only  the  evidence  that, 
through  the  infinite  mercy  of  God,  the  germ  of  faith  has  been 
planted  in  him. 


XXXIX. 
Defective  Learning. 

"  He  that  believeth  on  Him  shall  not 
be  confounded."  — I  Peter  ii.  6. 

St.  Paul  declares  that  faith  is  the  gift  of  God  (Ephes.  ii.  8),  His 
words,  "And  that  not  of  yourselves,  it  is  the  gift  of  God,"  refer  to 
the  word  "faith." 

A  new  generation  of  youthful  expositors  confidently  assert  that 
these  words  refer  to  "by  grace  are  ye  saved."  The  majority  of 
them  are  evidently  ignorant  of  the  history  of  the  exegesis  of  the 
text.  They  only  know  that  the  pronoun  "  that"  in  the  clause  "  and 
that  not  of  yourselves  "is  a  Greek  neuter.  And  without  further  ex- 
amination they  consider  it  settled  that  the  neuter  pronoun  can  not 
refer  to  "  faith,"  which  is  a  Greek  feminine. 

Allow  us  to  put  our  readers  on  their  guard  against  the  thought- 
less prattle  of  shallow  school-learning.  It  should  be  remembered 
that  while  our  exegesis  is  and  always  has  been  the  one  accepted 
almost  without  exception,  the  opposite  opinion  is  shared  by  only  a 
few  expositors  of  later  times.  Nearly  all  the  church  fathers  and 
almost  all  the  theologians  eminent  for  Greek  scholarship  judged 
that  the  words  "  it  is  the  gift  of  God"  refer  io  faith. 

1.  This  was  the  exegesis,  according  to  the  ancient  tradition,  of 
the  churches  in  which  St.  Paul  had  labored. 

2.  Of  those  that  spoke  the  Greek  language  and  were  familiar 
with  the  peculiar  Greek  construction. 

3.  Of  the  Latin  church  fathers,  who  maintained  close  contact 
with  the  Greek  world. 

4.  Of  such  scholars  as  Erasmus,  Grotius,  and  others,  who  as 
philologists  were  without  peers,  and  in  them  all  the  more  remark- 
able, since  personally  they  favored  the  exposition  that  faith  is  the 
work  of  man. 

5.  Of  Beza,  Zanchius,  Piscator,  Voetius,  Heidegger,  and  even 
of  Wolf,    Bengel,   Estius,    Michaelis,    Rosenmiiller,    Flatt,   Meier, 


4o8  FAITH 

Baumgarten-Crusius,  etc.,  who  to  the  present  day  maintain  the 
original  tradition. 

And  lastly,  Calvin,  altho  he  is  said  to  have  favored  the  other 
exegesis.  But  if  he  had  surrendered  the  original  interpretation, 
he  would  have  given  some  reason  for  it ;  for  he  was  thoroughly  ac- 
quainted with  it.  And  this  makes  it  probable  that  he  never  in- 
tended to  discuss  the  question.  That  he  adhered  to  the  traditional 
exegesis  is  proven  from  his  own  words,  in  his  "  Antidote  Against  the 
Decrees  of  the  Concilium  of  Trente"  (page  190,  edition  1547): 
"  Faith  is  not  of  man,  but  of  God." 

Even  our  educated  Reformed  laymen  are  acquainted  with  the 
fact,  if  it  were  only  from  the  study  of  the  magnificent  commentary 
on  the  Ephesians  by  Petrus  Dinant,  minister  at  Rotterdam,  who 
flourished  in  the  latter  part  of  the  seventeenth  century.  He  pub- 
lished it  in  17 10,  and  the  book  had  such  a  large  sale  that  it  was  re- 
issued in  1726;  even  now  it  is  in  great  demand.  We  quote  from  it 
the  following  (vol.  i.,  p.  451):  '"  And  that  not  of  yourselves,  it  is 
the  gift  of  God.'  The  word  '  that,"  tovto,  refers  either  to  the  preced- 
ing '  being  saved,'  or  to  '  faith.'  To  the  former  it  can  not  refer,  St. 
Paul  having  stated  already  that  salvation  is  a  gift  of  God.  Hence 
it  must  refer  to  faith.  It  is  true  the  Greek  tovto  is  a  neuter,  while 
■KiGTTjg,  faith,  is  a  feminine.  But  Greek  scholars  know  that  the  rela- 
tive pronoun  may  refer  just  as  well  to  the  following  dupov,  gift, 
which  is  neuter,  as  to  the  preceding  niarijc,  which  is  feminine,  ac- 
cording to  the  rule  in  Greek  grammar  governing  this  point.  Hence 
'  that, '  viz. ,  '  faith,  is  not  of  yourselves,  it  is  the  gift  of  God. 

But  recent  discoveries  may  have  upset  this  ancient  exegesis.  If 
the  modern  expositors  of  Utrecht,  Groningen,  and  Leyden,  who 
make  a  hobby  of  this  modern  exegesis,  will  therefore  show  us  this 
recent  discovery,  we  will  give  them  an  attentive  hearing.  But  they 
fail  to  do  this.  On  the  contrary,  they  say :  "  The  matter  is  settled, 
and  so  plain  that  even  a  tyro  in  Greek  can  see  it."  And  by  saying 
this,  they  judge  themselves.  For  brains  incomparably  superior, 
such  as  Erasmus  and  Hugo  Grotius,  knew  so  much  of  Greek  that 
they  were  at  least  acquainted  with  the  Greek  rudiments.  And  we 
may  venture  to  say  that  all  the  Greek  scholarship  now  lodged  in 
the  brains  of  our  exegetes  at  the  universities  just  named  would  not 
half  fill  the  cup  which  Erasmus  and  Grotius  together  filled  to  the 
brim.     Wherefore  we  confidently  maintain  the  traditional  exegesis. 

The  positive  assurance  wherewith  these  young  expositors  make 


DEFECTIVE    LEARNING  409 

their  assertions  need  not  surprise  us.  The  explanation  is  easily 
found.  They  were  nearly  all  prepared  at  universities  whose  pro- 
fessors of  New-Testament  exegesis  seek  to  estrange  their  students 
from  the  traditional  interpretation  of  the  Scripture  by  making  sur- 
prising observations;  e.g.,  the  students  had  learned  at  home  that 
"the  gift  of  God,"  in  Ephes.  ii.  8,  refers  to  faith;  but  they  had  never 
consulted  the  original  text.  Then  the  professor  observed,  with 
perfect  correctness,  that  it  does  not  read  avrri,  but  tovto,  adding :  "  The 
gentlemen  can  see  for  themselves  that  this  can  not  refer  to  faith." 
And,  unacquainted  with  the  subject,  his  inexperienced  hearers  sup- 
pose that  nothing  more  remains  to  be  said.  If  their  Greek  scholar- 
ship had  been  more  thorough  and  extensive,  they  would  have  been 
able  to  judge  more  independently. 

With  this  conviction  they  enter  the  church ;  and  when  a  simple 
layman  repeats  the  old  exegesis,  they  delight,  at  least  on  such  oc- 
casions, to  parade  the  fruit  of  their  academic  training ;  and  the  sim- 
ple layman  is  made  to  understand  that  he  knows  nothing  of  Greek, 
and  that  the  Greek  text  plainly  reads  the  other  way,  and  that 
therefore  he  may  not  support  the  antiquated  exegesis. 

When  sometimes  the  Heraut*  dares  to  repeat  the  old,  well-tried 
opinion,  these  youthful  savants  can  not  help  but  think :  "  The 
Heraut  does  not  act  in  good  faith ;  the  editor  knows  perfectly  well 
that  it  reads  rovro,  and  that  Tr/crrw  is  feminine."  Of  course,  the 
Heraut  knows  this  very  well — just  as  well  as  Erasmus  and  Gro- 
tius  knew  it — and,  knowing  a  little  more  of  Greek  than  these  child- 
like rudiments,  has  taken  the  liberty,  supported  by  the  goodly  com- 
pany of  the  scholars  just  named,  to  entertain  an  opinion  different 
from  that  of  the  Utrecht  graduates. 

Undoubtedly  every  man  has  a  right  to  his  own  opinion  and  to 
reject  the  traditional  exegesis.  Moreover,  in  Phil.  i.  23,  it  is  dis- 
tinctly stated  that  faith  is  gift  of  God.  But  we  protest  against  the 
shallowness  and  artlessness  of  men  who  in  their  ignorance  pose  as 
scholars,  and  make  it  appear  as  tho  even  a  tyro  in  Greek,  if  he  be 
only  an  honest  man,  could  not  support  the  opposite  opinion  for  a 
moment.  For  this  is  inexcusable  in  one  who  presumes  to  pro- 
nounce judgment  upon  another  who  knows  what  he  is  talking 
about,  as  will  appear  from  the  postscript  of  this  article. 

The  reader  will  kindly  bear  with  us  for  treating  this  matter 

*  A  religious  weekly  publication  edited  by  the  author. — Trans. 


4IO  FAITH 

somewhat  extensively,  for  it  touches  a  principle.  Our  universities 
deny  our  confession  of  faith.  They  may  still  concede  that  God  is 
the  Author  of  salvation,  but  faith  (such  as  they  interpret  it)  is  taken 
in  the  sense  of  a  medium  which  originates  from  the  union  of  the 
breath  of  the  soul  and  the  inworking  of  the  Holy  Spirit.  Hence 
their  manifest  preference  for  such  novel  exegesis,  apparent  also 
from  the  energetic  and  persistent  effort  to  popularize  it. 

And  this  tendency  is  manifest  in  many  other  directions.  For  in- 
dividual, original  research  there  is  little  opportunity.  Hence  the 
instruction  received  at  Utrecht  is  the  only  source  of  information. 
And  this  is  so  thoroughly  rooted  in  heart  and  mind  that  the  student 
can  not  conceive  that  it  can  be  otherwise.  Moreover,  the  argu- 
ments have  been  presented  so  concisely  and  incessantly  that  con- 
vincing arguments  for  opposite  views  seem  utterly  impossible. 

This  being  the  case,  our  young  theologians,  honest  in  and  loyal 
to  their  convictions,  declare  from  the  pulpit  and  in  private  conver- 
sation that  uncertainty  regarding  various  doctrinal  points  is  out  of 
the  question ;  so  that  it  must  be  conceded  and  acknowledged  that 
the  ancient  expositors  were  decidedly  wrong.  And  this  is  the  cause 
of  the  strong  opposition  against  many  established  opinions,  even 
among  our  best  ministers;  not  from  love  of  opposition,  but  because 
sincere  convictions  forbid  them  to  follow  any  other  line  of  conduct, 
at  least  as  long  as  they  are  not  better  informed. 

And  this  may  not  remain  so.  There  is  no  earnestness  in  that 
position.  It  is  unworthy  of  the  man  scientifically  trained;  it  is  un- 
worthy of  the  minister.  There  is  need  of  individual  research  and 
investigation.  These  Utrecht  novelties  should  be  received  with  a 
considerable  grain  of  salt.  It  may  even  be  freely  surmised  that  the 
learning  of  the  Utrecht  faculty,  when  they  oppose  the  learning  of 
the  whole  Church,  must  be  discredited. 

And  thus  our  young  men  will  be  compelled  to  return  to  original 
research.  Not  only  that,  but  they  will  be  compelled  to  buy  books. 
The  libraries  of  nearly  all  our  young  theologians  contain  scarcely 
anything  but  German  works,  products  of  the  mediation  theology ; 
hence  exceedingly  one-sided,  not  national,  foreign  to  our  Church, 
in  conflict  with  our  history.  This  lack  ought  first  to  be  supplied. 
And  then  we  hope  that  the  time  soon  will  come  when  every 
minister  in  our  Reformed  churches  shall  be  in  the  possession  of  at 
least  a  few  solid  and  better  works.  And  when  thus  the  opportunity 
is  born  for  more  impartial  and  more  correct  study,  the  rising  gen- 


DEFECTIVE    LEARNING  411 

eration  of  ministers  should  once  more  resume  their  studies,  and  obtain 
the  conviction  by  their  own  experience,  even  as  others  have  done, 
that  the  work  of  study  and  research,  which  will  bear  good  fruit  for 
the  Church  of  God,  is  not  yet  finished,  but  really  only  just  begun. 
Then  a  generation  of  more  earnest  and  better-trained  men  will 
treat  the  opinions  which  we  have  advanced  with  a  little  more  ap- 
preciation, and,  what  is  of  much  higher  importance,  they  will  treat 
the  being  of  faith  with  more  thoughtfulness. 

It  is  of  vital  interest  that  the  exercise  of  faith  and  the  faculty  of 
faith  be  no  longer  confounded,  and  that  it  be  acknowledged  the 
latter  may  be  present  without  the  former.  Otherwise  there  will 
be  a  complete  deviation  from  the  line  of  the  Scripture,  which  is 
also  that  of  the  Reformed  churches.  It  will  make  salvation  de- 
pendent upon  the  exercise  of  faith,  i.e.,  upon  the  act  of  accepting 
Christ  and  all  His  benefits ;  and  since  this  act  is  an  act,  not  of  God, 
but  of  man,  we  imperceptibly  lose  our  way  in  the  waters  of  Ar- 
minianism. 

Hence  everything  depends  upon  the  correct  understanding  of 
Ephes.  ii.  8.  For  faith  is  not  the  act  of  believing,  but  the  mere  pos- 
session of  faith,  even  of  faith  in  the  germ.  He  that  possesses  that 
germ  or  faculty  of  faith,  and  who  at  God's  time  will  also  exercise 
faith,  is  saved,  saved  by  grace,  for  to  him  was  imparted  the  gift  of 
God. 

Formerly  theologians  were  used  to  speak  of  faith's  being  and 
well-being;  but  this  had  reference  to  another  distinction,  which 
must  not  be  confounded  with  the  one  thus  far  treated.  Sometimes 
the  plant  of  faith  seems  more  vigorous  in  one  than  in  another,  and 
its  development  riper  and  fuller,  bearing  branch,  twig,  leaf,  blos- 
som, and  fruit — which  is  evidence  of  the  well-being  of  faith.  It  may 
also  be  that,  in  the  same  person,  faith  seems  to  pass  through  the 
four  seasons  of  the  year:  there  is  first  a  spring-tide,  in  which  it 
grows,  followed  by  a  summer,  when  it  blossoms ;  but  there  is  also 
an  autumn  when  it  languishes,  and  a  winter  when  it  slumbers. 
And  this  is  the  transition  from  the  well-hemg  of  faith  to  its  mere 
being.  But  as  a  tree  remains  a  tree  in  winter,  and  will  possess  the 
being  of  a  tree  even  tho  it  have  lost  its  well-being,  so  faith  may  re- 
main still  living  faith  in  us,  tho  temporarily  without  leaf  and  blos- 
som. 

For  the  comfort  of  souls,  our  fathers  always  pointed  to  the  fact, 
and  so  do  we,  that  salvation  does  not  depend  upon  the  w^/Z-being 


412  FAITH 

of  faith,  so  long  as  the  soul  possesses  the  being  of  faith.  Altho, 
after  the  example  of  our  fathers,  we  add,  that  the  tree  does  not  live 
in  winter,  except  it  hastens  on  toward  spring,  when  it  shall  bud 
again ;  and  that  the  being  of  faith  gives  evidence  of  its  presence 
in  the  soul  only  by  hastening  on  toward  its  a/^//-being. 


Postscript. 

It  is  necessary  to  point  out  two  things  regarding  the  shallowness 
of  which  we  complain. 

First,  that  the  construction  of  a  neuter  pronoun  with  a  feminine 
noun  as  its  antecedent  is  not  a  mistake,  but  excellent  Greek. 

Second,  that  the  Church  had  reasons  why  until  now  she  made 
the  words  "  and  that  not  of  yourselves  "  refer  to  faith. 

In  regard  to  thQ  first  point,  we  refer  not  to  a  Hellenistic  excep- 
tion, but  to  the  ordinary  rule,  which  is  found  in  every  good  Greek 
syntax,  and  which  every  exegete  ought  to  know. 

A  rule  which,  among  others,  was  formulated  by  Kiihner,  in  his 
"  Ausfiihrliche  Grammatik  der  Griech.  Sprache,"  vol.  ii.,  i,  p.  54 
(Han.,  1870),  and  which  is  as  follows:  "  Besonders  Mufig  steht  das 
Neutrum  eines  demonstrativen  Pronofnefis  in  JBeziehung  auf  ein  fndnn- 
liches  Oder  weibliches  Substantiv,  indem  der  Begriff  desselben  ganz 
allgemein  ah  blosses  Ding  oder  IVesen,  oder  auch  als  ein  ganzer  Gedanke 
aufgefasst  wird."  Which  is  in  English:  A  neutral  demonstrative 
pronoun  is  frequently  used  to  refer  to  a  preceding  masculine  or 
feminine  noun,  when  the  meaning  expressed  by  this  word  is  taken 
in  a  general  sense,  etc. 

The  examples  cited  by  Kiihner  deal  a  death-blow  to  the  Utrecht 
exegesis.     Take,  for  instance,  these  from  Plato  and  Xenophon : 

Plato,  "Protagoras,"  357,  C.  : 

'OfioTioyovfiEV  iniaTtjfiTiq  /iTjdev  elvac  Kpe'iTTOv^  a?.7[.a  tovto  cieI  Kpareiv,  birov  av  fry, 
Koi  ^6ov^g  Koi  tuv  aMuv  aKavruv. 

Plato,  "Menon,"  73,  C.  : 

'EnecS^  toIvw  rj  avrrj  apery  ndvruv  kari,  neipu  elnEiv  kqi  avafiv^adyvai^  ri  aind 
^^i  Topyiaf  elvai. 

Xenophon,  "Hiero,"  ix.,  9. 

Et  ifiTTopia  u(ji£X€l  Ti  ndXiv^  Tifi6fi£V0i  av  6  nXelara  tovto  noiuv  kcI  ifiirdpovf  iv 
irActoif  ayeipoi. 


DEFECTIVE    LEARNING  4^3 

To  which  we  add  three  more  from  Plato,  and  a  fourth  from  Demos- 
thenes : 

Plato,  "Protag.,"  352,  B. : 

Iluf  ix^^i  ""POf  tTricTiifiqv  ;  ndTepov  Koi  tovtS  aoi  SoKel  oonep  role  TroX^Zf  avOpitnoiq, 

Plato,  "Phsedo,"  61,  A.  : 

'YnEAa/i^avov ;  ...  /cat  kfiol  ovtu  Mirviov,  bnep  InpaTTOv^  tovto  eiriKtXeiecv, 
(lovaiKTiv  iroielv,  ug  (jn^oaoipiag  /lev  ovatjc  fieyicTTjg  /novaiKf/c,  ef^ov  de  tovto  npaTTovrog. 

Plato,  "Theaetetus,"  145,  D. : 

Xoipia  6e  y  olfiac  ao<pol  ol  ao(poi ; — vai — tovto  de  vvv  Sta^ipei  tl  iniaT^nrig. 

Demosthenes,  "  Contra  Aphob. , "  11: 

'Eyo)  yap,  a  avipeq  SiKaoTal^  rrepl  TTJg  fiapTvpiac  Tijg  h  tu  ypafifiaTei(f}  yeypa/nfiivrfc 
Eidug  6vTa  fioi  tov  ayuva,  koX  nepl  Toirov  Tyv  tj^tpov  vfiag  olaovTag  kirtaTa/iEvog  (prjdriv 
Selv  K.  T,  A. 

For  the  present  we  postpone  the  discussion  of  the  second  point  to 
another  time. 

But  it  is  evident  that  these  citations  upset  all  the  quasi-learning 
of  this  defective  scholarship ;  and  that  the  words,  "  And  that  not  of 
yourselves,  it  is  the  gift  of  God,"  just  with  the  neutral  pronoun,  in 
purest  Greek,  can  refer  to  faith  ;  hence  that  all  this  fuss  about  the 
difference  of  gender,  not  only  is  without  any  foundation,  but  also 
leaves  a  very  poor  impression  regarding  the  scholarship  of  the  men 
who  raised  the  objection. 

Moreover,  we  must  also  show  not  only  that  the  ancient  rendering 
of  Ephes.  ii.  8  jnay  be  correct,  but  also  that  it  can  not  be  anything 
else  but  correct. 

It  reads :  "  For  by  grace  are  ye  saved  through  faith,  and  that  not 
of  yourselves,  it  is  the^//7  of  God ;  not  of  works,  lest  any  man  should 
boast.  ¥ov  \^Q  zxQ  His  workmanship."  The  principal  thought  is  the 
mighty  fact  that  the  causative  worker  of  our  salvation  is  God.  St. 
Paul  expresses  this  in  the  most  forcible  and  most  positive  terms  by 
saying:  "  You  are  saved  from  grace,  through  g^ace,  and  by  grace." 
If  then  it  should  follow,  "  And  that  not  of  yourselves,  it  is  the  gift 
of  God,"  we  would  have  a  dragging  sentence  of  superfluous  clauses, 
thrice  repeating  the  same  thing:  "You  have  received  it  by  grace, 
not  of  yourselves,  it  is  the  gift  of  God."  And  this  might  do,  if  it 
read,  "You  are  saved  by  grace,  and  therefore  not  of  yourselves"; 
but  it  does  not  read  so.  It  is  simply,  "  and  that  not  of  yourselves." 
The  conjunction  "  and"  stands  in  the  way. 


414  FAITH 

Or,  if  it  read,  "  Ye  are  saved  by  grace,  not  of  yourselves,  it  is 
God's  work,"  it  would  sound  better.  But  first  to  say,  "  Ye  are  saved 
by  grace,"  and  then  without  adding  anything  new  to  repeat,  "and 
that  not  of  yourselves,"  is  harsh  and  halting.  And  all  the  more 
so,  since  in  the  ninth  verse  it  is  repeated  for  the  fourth  and  fifth 
time,  "not  of  works ;  we  are  His  workmanship"  And  while  all 
this  is  stiff  and  forced,  labored  and  superfluous,  by  adopting  the 
exegesis  of  the  ancient  expositors  of  the  Christian  Church  it  be- 
comes all  at  once  smooth  and  vigorous.  For  then  it  reads:  "  You 
are  saved  by  mere  grace,  by  means  of  faith.  (Not  as  tho  by  this 
means  of  faith  the  grace  of  your  salvation  would  be  partly  not  of 
grace ;  no  indeed  not,  for  even  that  faith  is  not  of  yourselves,  it  is  the 
gift  of  God.)  And,  therefore,  saved  through  faith,  not  of  works, 
lest  any  man  should  boast,  for  we  are  His  workmanship." 

But  then  this  creates  a  parenthesis,  which  is  perfectly  true ;  but 
even  this  is  truly  Pauline.  St.  Paul  hears  the  objection,  and  refutes 
it  again  and  again,  even  where  he  does  not  formulate  the  contrast. 


XL. 
Faith  in  the  Saved  Sinner  Alone. 

'» And  they  believed  in  the  Scripture." 
—John  ii.  22. 

Faith  is  not  the  working  of  a  faculty  inherent  in  the  natural 
man ;  nor  a  new  sense  added  to  the  five ;  nor  a  new  soul-function ; 
nor  a  faculty  first  dormant  now  active;  but  a  disposition,  mode  of 
action,  implanted  by  the  Holy  Spirit  in  the  consciousness  and  will 
of  the  regenerate  person,  whereby  he  is  enabled  to  accept  Christ. 

From  this  it  follows  that  this  disposition  can  not  be  implanted  in 
sinless  man,  and  that  it  disappears  as  soon  as  the  sinner  ceases  to 
be  a  sinner.  The  saint  believes  until  he  dies,  but  no  longer.  Or 
more  correctly :  faith  disappears  as  soon  as  he  enters  heaven,  for 
then  he  lives  no  more  by  faith,  but  by  sight. 

The  importance  of  this  distinction  is  obvious.  The  Ethical 
theologians,  denying  that  faith  is  a  specially  implanted  disposition, 
but  rather  a  sense  or  its  organ,  first  dormant  then  awakened,  can 
not  admit  this,  but  repeat  that  faith  is  perpetual,  basing  their  opin- 
ion upon  I  Cor.  xiii.  13.  According  to  their  theory,  there  is  no 
absolute  difference  between  the  sinner  and  the  sinless ;  they  do  not 
believe  that  to  save  the  sinner  the  Holy  Spirit  introduces  an  extraor- 
dinary expedient  into  his  spiritual  person.  Hence  their  persistent 
effort  to  make  us  understand  that  Adam  believed  before  the  fall, 
and  that  even  Jesus,  the  Captain  and  Finisher  of  our  faith,  walked 

by  faith. 

But  this  whole  presentation  is  opposed  by  the  apostolic  words  ; 
"  We  walk  by  faith,  and  not  by  sight"  (2  Cor.  v.  7).  And  again, 
"  Now  I  know  in  part,  but  then  shall  I  know  even  as  also  I  am 
known"  (i  Cor.  xiii.  12),  in  connection  with  the  preceding:  "When 
that  which  is  perfect  is  come,  then  that  which  is  in  part  shall  be  done 
away"  (vs.  10).  And  not  less  by  the  word  of  our  Lord,  that  we 
shall  see  God  as  soon  as  we  are  pure  in  heart  (Matt.  v.  8). 

And  starting  from  this  point,  we  know  positively  that  faith  in 


4i6  FAITH 

the  sense  of  saving  faith  is  not  perpetual ;  that  it  did  not  exist  in 
Paradise,  but  can  only  be  found  in  a  lost  sinner.  To  be  endowed 
with  saving  faith,  he  must  be  a  sinner,  just  as  much  as  relief  from 
pain  can  be  given  only  to  one  suffering  pain. 

"  Very  well,"  say  the  Ethicals,  "  we  accept  this.  But  when  the 
physician  tries  to  improve  the  breathing  of  the  asthmatic  by  ma- 
king him  inhale  fresh  air,  it  does  not  follow  that  a  healthy  person 
does  not  inhale.  On  the  contrary,  a  healthy  man  inhales  strongly 
and  deeply,  and  it  is  the  physician's  purpose  to  assist  the  normal 
function  of  breathing.  And  the  same  applies  to  faith.  True  the 
Holy  Spirit  can  give  faith  only  to  the  sinner,  but  a  healthy  saint, 
like  Adam  before  the  fall  and  Christ,  did  most  assuredly  believe ; 
for  faith  is  but  the  breath  of  the  soul.  In  Adam  and  Christ  this 
breathing  was  spontaneous ;  in  sinners  like  ourselves  it  is  disturbed. 
Hence  we  need  help  to  be  healed.  But  when  our  souls  once  more 
freely  inhale  the  breath  of  faith,  we  have  received  only  what  Adam 
and  Jesus  had  before  us." 

And  this  we  oppose.  Saving  faith  is  not  the  ordinary  breath  of 
the  soul,  first  disturbed,  then  restored.  No ;  it  is  the  specific  remedy 
for  one  lost  in  sin ;  an  expedient  extended  to  him  because  he  became 
a  sinner;  retained  as  long  as  he  cofitinues  a.  sinner;  withdrawn  as 
soon  as  he  ceases  from  sin.  When  the  expedient  is  no  longer  needed, 
and  the  soul  redeemed  from  sin  can  breathe  freely  toward  God  with- 
out the  expedient  of  faith,  wholly  restored,  entirely  redeemed,  then 
only  he  receives  once  more  that  natural,  spontaneous  communion 
with  the  Eternal  which  needs  no  intervening  aid,  but  which  is  like 
that  of  holy  Adam  and  Jesus. 

Faith  is  like  a  pair  of  glasses,  not  only  useless,  but  hurtful  to 
good  eyes;  very  helpful  for  diseased  or  weak  eyes.  So  long  as 
eyes  are  abnormal,  glasses  are  indispensable ;  before  they  became 
abnormal,  glasses  were  useless  (Adam  before  the  fall).  Eyes  never 
abnormal  never  needed  them  (Jesus).  As  soon  as  wholly  restored, 
they  are  laid  aside  (the  redeemed  in  heaven). 

Next  in  order  is  faith  in  connection  with  Sacred  Scripture;  and 
here  the  error  of  the  Ethicals  becomes  very  apparent.  Their  theory, 
that  sinless  Adam  and  Christ  exercised  faith,  and  that  the  redeemed 
in  heaven  still  believe,  leads  away  from  Scripture.  In  Paradise, 
sinless  Adam  had  no  Scripture ;  neither  has  Christ  on  the  throne ; 
and  in  death  the  redeemed  forever  lose  their  Bible.     Hence  it  is 


FAITH    IN   THE    SAVED    SINNER   ALONE     417 

the  logical  consequence  of  this  error  that  the  faith  of  the  Ethicals  is 
possible  without  Scripture,  and  is  not  necessarily  intended  for  Scrip- 
ture. According  to  their  theory,  to  believe  is  the  soul's  breathing, 
but  little  more  than  another  name  for  prayer.  Indeed,  there  should 
have  been  no  Scripture,  and  in  the  absence  of  sin  there  would  have 
been  none;  hence  faith,  which  is  only  the  restoration  of  a  soul- 
function  disturbed  by  sin,  is  possible  without  Scripture. 

This  theory  is  far-reaching.  They  believe  that  even  among  the 
heathen  the  Lord  had  His  elect,  tho  they  never  had  heard  of  the 
Scripture.  The  heathen  of  classic  times  were  a  sort  of  unbaptized 
Christians,  entering  the  Kingdom  of  heaven  under  the  leadership 
of  their  patriarch  Plato.  Tho  modern  rationalists  reject  Scripture, 
yet  they  are  such  lovely  and  devoted  people  that  faith  can  not 
be  denied  them.  Reasoning  in  this  way,  they  arrive  at  the  follow- 
ing conclusions : 

1.  Not  the  Confession,  but  the  motive  of  the  heart  is  the  main 
thing;  and 

2.  Tho  men  claim  to  have  discovered  intentional  frauds  in 
Scripture,  and  therefore  reject  it,  they  are  still  "  brethren  be- 
loved." 

The  consistency  is  evident.  Wherefore  ministers  loyal  to  the 
Word  should  be  careful  how  they  speak  of  the  being  of  faith,  lest 
they  feed  the  evil  which  they  seek  to  restrain.  All  that  vague  and 
flowery  talk  about  faith  as  the  breath  of  the  soul,  as  the  soul's  sweet 
trust  of  love,  etc.,  has  a  direct  tendency  toward  Ethical  error.  For 
the  line  is  a  dividing-line.     Do  you  acknowledge  or  deny  it? 

The  Ethicals  deny  it.  There  is  no  settled  boundary  between 
God  and  man,  but  a  certain  transition  between  the  finite  and  infinite 
in  the  God-man ;  no  absolute  separation  between  the  elect  and  the 
lost,  but  a  sort  of  gradual  transition  in  the  presentation  of  a  uni- 
versal redemption;  no  absolute  separation  between  sin  and  holi- 
ness, but  a  certain  conciliation  in  the  sanctification  of  the  saints; 
no  absolute  separation  between  life  before  and  after  death,  but  a 
bridge  across  the  chasm  in  the  state  of  believing.  Nor  is  there  be- 
tween the  Bible  and  the  books  of  men,  but  a  kind  of  affinity  in  the 
legends  of  Scripture ;  and,  finally,  not  between  the  condition  with  or 
without  faith,  but  a  transfer  from  the  one  into  the  other  in  the  pre- 
paratory workings. 

The  practical  result  of  this  false  standpoint  is  the  belief  in  a 
tnediutn  between  believers  and  unbelievers,  viz.,  a  third  state  for 
27 


4i8  FAITH 

troubled  souls.  Or  we  may  call  it  philosophy ;  but  then  it  is  earth- 
bom,  in  its  pantheistic  obstinacy  refusing  to  admit  the  absolute 
contrast  between  the  Creator  and  the  creature,  and  boldly  interpret- 
ing Scripture's  ministry  of  reconciliation  in  the  sense  of  an  essen- 
tial system,  i.e.,  the  blending  of  one  being  with  another. 

Scripture  is  diametrically  opposed  to  this :  "  And  God  divided 
the  light  from  the  darkness";  "And  God  divided  the  waters  from 
the  dry  land";  "  And  God  divided  the  day  from  the  night."  Hence 
all  who  acknowledge  the  absolute  separation  between  faith  and  un- 
belief must  array  themselves  in  direct  opposition  to  the  Ethicals. 
This  explains  the  cause  of  our  ecclesiastical  conflict. 

They  that  deny  the  contrasts  and  efface  the  divinely  ordained 
boundaries  must  be  irenical;  i.e.,  they  must  contend  that  a  breach 
in  the  Church  can  not  be  allowed.  The  fatal  inference  of  their 
pantheistic  tendency  is  "  No  breaches,  but  bridges."  Hence  our  posi- 
tion antagonizes  this  standpoint  along  the  whole  line  of  our  eccle- 
siastical and  theological  life,  with  definite,  stem,  and  absolute 
consistency:  particular  grace,  or  Christ  pro  omnibus;  only  two 
states,  or  three;  direct  regeneration,  or  universal,  preparatory 
operations ;  no  divided  Church,  or  a  Church  loyal  to  the  Word  of 
God;  a  God-man,  or  a  Mediator  between  God  and  man;  a  Scripture 
absolutely  inspired,  or  full  of  enlightened  human  opinions ;  and  re- 
garding faith,  a  disposition  expressly  brought  into  the  sinner,  or 
the  restoration  of  a  soul-function.  Hence  there  is  opposition  all 
along  the  line. 

From  this  the  relation  between  Scripture  and  faith  is  easily  as- 
certained. Both  exist  for  the  sake  of  the  sinner  by  virtue  of  sin, 
and  to  remove  sin ;  the  one  not  without  the  other,  both  belonging 
together.  Without  Scripture  faith  is  an  aimless  gazing.  Without 
faith  Scripture  is  a  closed  book. 

Experience  proves  it.  Persons  endowed  with  the  faculty  of  faith, 
but  ignorant  of  Scripture  or  wrongly  instructed,  make  no  progress ; 
once  instructed,  they  live  and  gain  strength.  On  the  contrary,  to 
persons  familiar  with  Scripture  from  their  youth,  but  without  faith, 
the  Bible  is  a  closed  book;  the  Word  can  not  enter  them.  But 
when  both  Scripture  and  saving  faith  bless  the  soul,  then  the  glory 
of  the  Holy  Spirit  appears ;  for  it  was  He  who  first  g^ranted  the  par- 
ticular grace  of  Scripture,  and  then  also  that  of  faith. 

This  is  the  reason  why  the  arguments  for  the  truth  of  the  Scrip- 
ture never  avail  anything.     A  person  endowed  with  faith  gradually 


FAITH    IN   THE    SAVED    SINNER   ALONE     419 

will  accept  Scripture ;  if  not  so  endowed  he  will  never  accept  it, 
the  he  should  be  flooded  with  apologetics.  Surely  it  is  our  duty 
to  assist  seeking  souls,  to  explain  or  remove  difficulties,  sometimes 
even  to  silence  a  mocker;  but  to  make  an  unbeliever  have  faith  in 
Scripture  is  utteriy  beyond  man's  power. 

Faith  and  Scripture  belong  together ;  the  Holy  Spirit  intended  the 
one  for  the  other.  The  latter  is  so  arranged  as  to  be  accepted  by 
the  sinner  endowed  with  faith.  And  faith  is  a  disposition,  com- 
pletely reconciling  the  consciousness  and  the  Scripture.  Hence  the 
"testimonium  Spiritus  Sancti"  should  be  taken,  not  in  the  rational- 
istic or  Ethical  sense  of  being  the  operation  upon  a  certain  universal 
disposition,  but  as  a  real  testimony  of  the  Holy  Spirit,  who  dwells 
in  the  consciousness,  and  gives  us  to  experience  the  adaptation- 
like  that  of  the  eye  to  color— of  Scripture  to  faith. 


XLI. 
Testimonies. 

"Without  faith  it  is  impossible  to 
please  God." — Heb.  xi.  6. 

In  order  to  prevent  the  possibility  of  being  led  into  paths  of  error, 
faith  is  directed,  not  to  a  Christ  of  the  imagination,  but  to  "  the  Christ 
in  the  garments  of  the  Sacred  Scripture,"  as  Calvin  expresses  it. 

And  therefore  we  must  discriminate  between  (i)  faith  as  a 
faculty  implanted  in  the  soul  without  our  knowledge ;  (2)  faith  as 
Sk power  whereby  this  implanted  faculty  begins  to  act;  and  (3)  faith 
as  a  result, — since  with  this  faith  (i)  we  hold  the  Sacred  Scripture 
for  truth,  (2)  take  refuge  in  Christ,  and  (3)  are  firmly  assured  of 
our  salvation  in  inseparable  love  for  Immanuel. 

To  which  must  finally  be  added  that  this  is  the  work  of  the  Holy 
Spirit  alone,  who  (i)gave  us  the  Holy  Scriptures;  (2)  implanted  the 
faculty  of  faith ;  (3)  caused  this  faculty  to  act ;  (4)  made  this  faith 
to  manifest  itself  in  the  act;  (5)  thereby  witnessed  to  our  souls  con- 
cerning the  Sacred  Scriptures ;  (6)  enabled  us  to  accept  Immanuel 
with  all  His  treasures;  and,  lastly,  made  us  find  in  the  love  of  Im- 
manuel the  pledge  of  our  salvation. 

Wholly  different  from  this  is  the  historical  faith,  which  Brakel 
briefly  describes  as  follows :  "  Historical  faith  is  thus  called  because 
it  knows  the  history,  the  narrative,  the  description  of  the  matters 
of  faith  in  the  Word,  acknowledges  them  to  be  the  truth,  and  then 
leaves  them  alone  as  matters  that  concern  it  no  more  than  the  his- 
tories of  the  world ;  for  one  can  not  use  them  in  his  business,  neither 
does  it  create  any  emotion  in  the  soul,  not  even  sufficiently  to  cause 
man  to  make  a  confession:  *  Thou  believest  that  there  is  one  God; 
thou  doest  well,  the  devils  also  believe  and  tremble  '  (James  ii.  19). 
'  King  Agrippa,  believest  thou  the  prophets?  I  know  that  thou 
believest'  (Acts  xxvi.  27)." 

Next  comes  temporary  faith,  of  which  Brakel  gives  the  following 
description:  "  Temporary  faith  is  a  knowledge  of  and  a  consent  to 


TESTIMONIES  42I 

the  truths  of  the  Gospel,  acknowledging  them  as  the  truth ;  which 
causes  some  natural  flutterings  in  the  affections  and  passions  of  the 
soul,  a  confession  of  these  truths  in  the  Church,  and  an  external 
walk  in  conformity  with  that  confession ;  but  without  a  real  union 
with  Christ,  to  justification,  sanctification,  and  redemption:  'But 
he  that  received  the  seed  into  stony  places,  the  same  is  he  that  hear- 
eth  the  Word,  and  anon  with  joy  receiveth  it ;  yet,  hath  he  not  root 
in  himself,  but  dureth  for  a  while ;  for  when  tribulation  or  persecu- 
tion ariseth  because  of  the  Word,  by  and  by  he  is  offended '  (Matt, 
xiii.  20,  21).  '  For  it  is  impossible  for  those  who  were  once  enlight- 
ened, and  have  tasted  of  the  heavenly  gift,  and  were  made  parta- 
kers of  the  Holy  Ghost,  and  have  tasted  the  good  Word  of  God,  and 
the  powers  of  the  world  to  come,  if  they  shall  fall  away,  to  renew 
them  again  unto  repentance'  (Heb.  vi.  4.  5)-  '  For  if,  after  they 
have  escaped  the  pollution  of  the  world  through  the  knowledge  of 
the  Lord  Jesus  Christ,  they  are  again  entangled  therein,  and  over- 
come, the  latter  end  is  worse  with  them  than  the  beginning '  (2 
Peter  ii.  20)." 

There  is  also  o.  faith  of  inirades,  which  Brakel  describes  in  these 
words :  "  "1\vq faith  of  t?iiracles  is  a  being  inwardly  persuaded,  by  an 
inward  working  of  God,  that  this  or  that  work  shall  be  wrought,  in 
a  supernatural  manner,  upon  our  word  or  command,  in  ourselves 
or  in  others.  But  the  ability  to  perform  miracles  is  not  of  man,  but 
of  God,  by  His  almighty  power,  in  answer  to  faith :  *  If  ye  have 
faith  as  a  grain  of  mustard-seed,  ye  shall  say  unto  this  motuitain, 
Remove  hence  to  yonder  place,  and  it  shall  remove ;  and  nothing 
shall  be  impossible  unto  you '  (Matt.  xvii.  20).  '  And  tho  I  have 
all  faith,  so  that  I  could  remove  mountains'  (i  Cor.  xiii.  2).  '  The 
same  heard  Paul  speak:  who  stedfastly  beholding  him,  and  per- 
ceiving that  he  had  faith  to  be  healed,  said  with  a  loud  voice.  Stand 
upright  on  thy  feet.  And  he  leaped  and  walked  '  (Acts  xiv.  9,  lo). 
This  faith  was  found  especially  in  the  days  of  Christ  and  of  the 
apostles,  for  the  confirmation  of  the  truth  of  the  Gospel." 

These  three  kinds  of  faith  do  in  some  respects  resemble  saving 
faith,  but  they  lack  its  being.  Least  of  all  is  the  faith  to  perform 
miracles,  which  was  found  also  in  Judas.  Faith  which  removes 
mountains  is  not  justifying  faith.  Historical  faith  comes  a  little 
nearer,  unless,  by  reason  of  a  slothfulness  and  indifference,  it  merely 
echoes  the  words  of  others  without  accepting  their  truth,  and  thus 
opens  the   way  to   Pharisaism.      Temporary  faith  comes  nearest, 


422  FAITH 

which  is  indeed  wrought  by  the  Holy  Spirit,  and  affords  a  taste  of 
the  heavenly  gifts,  but  which  has  not  root  in  itself.  It  is  a  bouquet 
of  flowers,  that  for  a  day  adorns  the  breast  of  the  person  who  wears 
it,  but  which,  being  cut  from  its  root,  is  not  a  plant  in  him. 

Finally,  we  might  speak  of  faith  in  its  most  general  sense,  which 
is  the  absence  of  all  hesitation,  doubt,  or  obstacle  to  receiving  in 
ourselves  the  immediate  and  direct  inworking  of  the  holy  majesty 
of  God,  and  of  the  majesty  of  His  truth,  in  such  a  penetrating  man- 
ner that  spontaneously  we  believe  that  the  Word  and  Being  of  God 
are  the  ground  and  foundation  of  all  things.  In  this  general  sense 
St.  Paul  says  that,  "  Without  faith  it  is  impossible  to  please  God"; 
and  in  this  most  general  sense  faith  also  belonged  to  the  Lord 
Jesus  Christ.  But  this  is  not  a  saving  faith,  for  it  has  nothing  to 
do  with  salvation. 

Saving  Jaith  embraces  Christ.  How  could  such  Christ-embra- 
cing faith  dwell  in  Immanuel? 

Rather  than  to  spend  our  strength  in  proving  this  clear  fact,  we 
lay  before  our  readers  Comrie's  beautiful  exposition  of  the  saving 
knowledge  of  faith,  in  which  he  speaks  in  the  following  penetrating 


"We  will  shortly  enumerate  the  objects  of  this  knowledge  of  faith : 
"  First,  this  knowledge  is  a  divine  light  of  the  Holy  Ghost,  through  the 
Word,  by  which  I  become  acquainted,  to  some  extent,  with  the  contents 
of  the  Gospel  of  salvation,  which  hitherto  was  to  me  a  sealed  book  ;  which, 
altho  I  understood  it  after  the  letter  and  in  its  connections,  I  could  not 
apply  to  myself,  to  direct  and  support  my  soul  in  the  great  distress,  con- 
flict, and  anguish  which  the  knowledge  of  God  and  of  myself  had  brought 
upon  me.  But  now  it  became  plain  and  knowable  to  me.  Now  I  learn  by 
the  inshining  of  the  Holy  Ghost  the  contents  of  the  Gospel,  so  that  I 
can  deal  and  commune  with  it.  And  so  I  suck  from  these  breasts  of  conso- 
lation the  pure,  rational,  and  unadulterated  milk  of  the  everlasting  Word 
of  God.  Truly,  the  souls  that  are  really  humbled  by  the  imparted  faith 
do  not  derive  any  benefit  from  their  own  notions  and  opinions  of  the  truth 
of  the  Gospel ;  on  the  contrary,  they  tend  to  fill  them  with  dismay,  be- 
cause their  knowledge  which  is  so  great  is  of  no  use  to  them  whatever. 
I  have  known  men  of  excellent  letter-knowledge  who,  by  reason  of  their 
natural  understanding  of  the  truth,  in  their  legal  fear  almost  cried  out  in 
the  words  of  devils  :  '  Thou  comest  to  torment  us  before  our  time. '  Only 
remember  Spira  and  others.  I  believe  that  the  letter-knowledge  of  the 
Gospel,  which  was  despised  here,  shall  be  a  hell  in  hell.  For  it  often 
occurs  that  this  understanding  of  the  letter,  which  is  only  an  assent  to  the 


TESTIMONIES  423 

truth  by  itself,  when  neglected  causes  the  soul  to  think  :  '  This  is  not  for 
me,  but  for  others. '  God  knows  how  many  a  poor  soul  sinks  away  in  this 
depth,  and  is  kept  there  by  others  who  speak  boastingly.  However, 
when  the  Holy  Spirit  causes  the  divine  Gospel  to  shine  into  the  dark 
prison  of  the  soul,  to  illuminate  the  eyes  of  the  inwrought  faith  with  a 
heavenly  and  divine  light,  the  soul  receives  the  Gospel  as  good  news,  and 
as  a  word  of  instruction,  encouragement,  and  direction  ;  and  is  led  by  it, 
step  by  step,  as  a  child,  which  from  its  A  B  C  learns  to  spell  and  read. 
Now  it  is :  '  Behold,  I  see  a  way  appear  ! '  And  then  :  '  Great  sinners  have 
been  saved,  surely  there  must  be  hope  for  me  ! '  In  the  distance  the 
gates  of  the  City  of  Refuge  are  seen  wide  open,  and  Jesus  is  waiting  be- 
hind those  walls— yea.  His  glory  is  seen  shining  through  the  gates.  And 
in  this  way,  by  means  of  the  heavenly  light,  which  pours  in  upon  the  in- 
wrought faith,  the  soul  obtains  knowledge  of  the  secret  of  the  Lord  in 
Christ,  who  is  revealed  to  her.  How  often  this  knowledge  causes  the 
soul  to  go  out  in  holy  desires,  we  need  not  tell.  Many  seem  to  attain  with 
one  step  or  bound  the  highest  degree ;  but,  like  noble  exotics,  the  true 
faith  grows  slowly,  step  by  step,  from  preceding  depths  of  humiliation, 
until  it  is  perfected  in  actual  work  and  exercise. 

"Second,  this  knowledge  is  a  divine  light  of  the  Holy  Spirit  in,  from, 
and  through  the  Gospel,  by  which  I  know  Christ,  who  is  its  Alpha  and 
Otnega,  as  the  glorious,  precious,  excellent,  and  soul-rejoicing  Pearl 
and  Treasure  hid  in  this  field.  Altho  I  knew  all  things,  and  I  did  not 
know  Jesus  by  the  light  of  the  Spirit,  my  soul  would  be  a  shop  full  of  mis- 
eries ;  a  sepulcher  appearing  beautiful  without,  but  within  full  of  dead 
men's  bones.  And  this  knowledge  of  Christ,  imparted  to  the  soul  by  the 
inshining  of  divine  light,  through  the  Gospel,  can  never  from  itself 
give  any  light  to  the  soul  so  long  as  it  is  not  accompanied  by  the  imme- 
diate inworking  and  illumination  of  the  Holy  Spirit.  For  it  is  not  the 
letter  which  is  effectually  working  in  the  soul,  but  the  direct  working  of 
the  Holy  Spirit  by  means  of  the  letter. 

"  And  now  you  may  ask.  In  what  respect  must  I  know  Jesus  ?  We  will 
confine  ourselves  to  the  following  matters :  This  knowledge  of  faith,  the 
object  of  which  is  Christ  in  the  Gospel,  is  a  knowledge  by  which  I  know, 
through  the  divine  light  of  the  Holy  Spirit,  my  absolute  need  of  Christ. 
I  see  that  I  owe  ten  thousand  talents,  and  that  I  have  not  a  farthing  to 
pay ;  and  that  I  must  have  a  surety  to  pay  my  debts.  I  see  that  I  am  a 
lost  sinner,  who  is  in  need  of  a  Savior.  I  see  that  I  am  dead  and  impo- 
tent in  myself  and  that  I  need  Him  who  is  able  to  quicken  me  and  to  save 
me.  I  see  that  before  God  I  can  not  stand,  and  that  I  need  Him  as  a  go- 
between.  I  see  that  I  go  astray,  and  that  He  must  seek  after  me.  Oh ! 
the  more  this  necessity  of  Christ  presses  upon  me,  from  this  true  knowl- 
edge of  faith,  the  more  earnest,  intense,  heart-melting,  and  persevering 


424  FAITH 

the  outgoings  of  my  soul  are  from  the  inwrought  faith,  and  attended 
with  greater  conflict.  Many  do  not  appreciate  them  because  they  do  not 
have  them,  but,  being  the  effects  of  the  Holy  Spirit  and  the  results  of  the 
inwrought  faith,  they  are  pleasing  to  God,  to  whom  they  are  directed. 
For  He  will  regard  the  prayer  of  the  destitute,  and  will  not  despise  their 
prayer — Psalm  cii.  17. 

"  Third,  it  is  through  this  knowledge  that  I,  by  the  light  of  the  Spirit, 
know  Jesus  in  the  Gospel,  as  adapted  in  every  respect  to  tny  need.  It  is 
the  very  conviction  of  the  fitness  of  a  thing  which  persuades  the  affections 
to  choose  that  thing  above  every  other ;  which  makes  one  resolute  and  per- 
severing in  spite  of  every  obstacle,  never  to  abandon  the  determination 
to  secure  to  himself  the  thing  or  person  chosen  for  this  fitness  to  his  need. 
You  can  see  it  in  the  matter  of  marriage. 

"A  young  man  may  judge  it  absolutely  necessary  for  him  to  marry. 
And  yet,  altho  convinced  of  this  necessity,  he  is  groping  in  the  dark. 
Now  he  is  fully  determined,  and  to-morrow  he  is  not.  Now  he  wants  this 
woman,  and  the  next  day  another.  But  as  soon  as  he  meets  a  person 
whom  he  considers  adapted  to  him  in  every  respect,  he  is  fully  resolved. 
This  fitness  is  the  arrow  that  penetrates  his  soul,  and  that  causes  the  scale 
of  his  unsettled  affections  to  turn  in  favor  of  the  congenial  object.  Hence 
nothing  can  draw  him  away  from  her  so  long  as  he  considers  her  adapted 
to  himself  ;  if  need  be  he  will  work  for  her  as  a  slave  twice  seven  years, 
which  time  will  seem  to  him  but  as  so  many  days  by  reason  of  the  hope 
to  call  her  his  own  in  the  end. 

"And  this  can  easily  be  applied  to  the  spiritual.  It  shows  that  altho 
one  may  be  convinced  of  his  need  of  Christ  as  his  Savior,  yet  so  long  as 
he  does  not  see  and  know  Him  by  faith  as  wonderfully  adapted  to  his 
person  in  particular,  the  affections  are  not  drawn  to  Him.  From  which  it 
follows  that  many,  in  ordinary  soul-trouble,  act  so  undecidedly :  to-day 
they  desire  Christ,  and  to-morrow  they  do  not.  This  moment  they  wish 
to  be  converted,  and  the  next  they  do  not.  This  is  the  reason  that  many 
who  once  were  touched  by  Christ's  fitness  to  their  need,  and  therefore 
were  seekers  after  Him  for  a  season,  go  back  again  and  no  more  ask  for 
Him,  simply  because  they  do  not  think  Him  so  much  adapted  to  their 
need  as  to  be  able  for  His  sake  to  bear  the  heat  of  the  day  and  the  cold  of 
the  night,  or  sacrifice  all  things,  to  possess  Him.  And  this  proves  that 
they  never  have  known  His  real  fitness,  that  they  never  have  seen  it  with 
the  eye  of  faith  ;  otherwise  the  seed  of  God  would  have  remained  in  them. 
But  when  the  divine  light  of  the  Holy  Spirit,  in  the  Gospel,  illuminates 
my  soul,  and  I  receive  this  knowledge  of  faith  from  Jesus,  oh  !  then  I  see 
in  Him  such  fitness  as  a  Surety,  a  Mediator,  a  Prophet,  Priest,  and  King 
that  my  soul  is  touched  in  such  a  measure  that  I  judge  it  impossible  to 
live  another  happy  hour,  except  this  Jesus  becomes  my  Jesus.     My  affec- 


TESTIMONIES  425 

tions  are  inclined,  taken  up,  directed,  and  settled  upon  this  object,  and 
my  resolution  is  so  great,  so  determined,  so  immovable,  that  if  it  required 
the  loss  of  life  and  property,  of  father  and  mother,  sister,  brother,  wife 
and  child,  right  eye  or  right  hand — yea,  tho  I  were  condemned  to  die  at 
the  stake,  I  would  lightly  esteem  all  this,  and  would  suffer  it  with  joy,  to 
have  this  wonderfully  fit  Savior  to  be  my  Savior  and  my  Jesus.  Oh  !  my 
friends,  examine  your  hearts,  for,  from  the  very  nature  of  the  case,  any- 
thing less  than  this  will  not  suffice.  If  you  possess  this  you  will  joyfully 
part  with  all  your  sins,  you  will  bid  an  eternal  and  joyful  adieu  to  your 
most  cherished  lusts  and  bosom  passions  ;  it  will  make  you  count  all  your 
righteousnesses,  which  you  esteemed  a  gain,  nothing  but  loss,  rejecting 
them  as  unprofitable  refuse,  for  the  excellency  of  the  knowledge  of  Christ ; 
it  will  make  you  take  joyfully  the  spoiling  of  your  goods  ;  it  will  make  you 
count  it  an  honor,  with  the  apostle,  to  be  scourged  for  Christ's  sake;  it 
will  make  you  say :  '  Tho  I  have  not  yet  found  Him,  and  am  only  seeking 
after  Him,  whom  my  soul  loveth,  and  altho  I  dare  not  say.  My  Beloved  is 
mine  and  I  am  His,  yet  if  I  were  to  labor  for  Him  twice  seven  years,  and 
spend  them  in  groaning  and  weeping,  in  tears  and  supplications,  I  would 
count  them  but  as  so  many  days,  if  only  at  last  I  might  find  Him  to  be 
my  own. '  God  Himself  must  fix  your  mind  upon  these  things  ;  these  re- 
sults are  the  infallible  signs  of  the  inward  root  of  the  matter. 

"  Fourth,  this  knowledge  of  faith  is  a  divine  light  of  the  Holy  Spirit 
by  which  I  know  Christ  in  the  Gospel  in  all  His  sufficient  fulness.  By  this 
I  see  not  only  that  He  is  well  disposed  toward  poor  sinners  such  as  my- 
self— for  a  man  might  be  favorably  disposed  toward  another  to  assist  him 
in  his  misery,  but  he  might  lack  the  power  and  the  means  to  do  so,  and 
the  best  that  he  could  do  might  be  to  pity  the  wretch  and  say,  '  I  pity  your 
misery,  but  I  can  not  help  you  ' — but  this  divine  light  teaches  me  that 
Christ  can  save  to  the  uttermost ;  that  tho  my  sins  are  as  scarlet  and  crim- 
son, heavier  than  the  mountains,  greater  in  number  than  the  hairs  of  my 
head  and  the  sands  of  the  seashore,  there  is  such  abundance  of  satisfaction 
and  merits  in  the  satisfaction,  by  virtue  of  His  Person,  that,  tho  I  had  the 
sins  of  the  human  race,  they  would  be,  compared  to  the  satisfaction  of 
Christ,  which  has  by  virtue  of  His  Person  an  infinite  value,  as  a  drop  to  a 
bucket  and  as  a  small  dust  in  the  balance.  And  this  convinces  my  soul 
that  my  sin,  instead  of  being  an  obstacle,  much  rather  adds  to  the  glory 
of  the  redemption,  that  sovereign  grace  was  pleased  to  make  me  an  ever- 
lasting monument  of  infinite  compassion.  Formerly,  I  always  confessed 
my  sin  reluctantly  ;  it  was  wrung  from  my  lips  against  my  will  only  be- 
cause I  was  driven  to  it  by  my  anguish,  for  I  always  thought.  The  more  I 
confess  my  sin,  the  farther  I  will  be  from  salvation  and  the  nearer  my 
approach  to  eternal  condemnation  ;  and,  fool  that  I  was,  I  disguised  my 
guilt.     But,  since  I  know  that  Jesus  is  so  all-sufficient,  now  I  cry  out. 


426  FAITH 

much  more  with  my  heart  than  with  my  lips,  '  Tho  I  were  a  blasphemer 
and  a  persecutor  and  all  that  is  wicked,  this  is  a  faithful  saying,  and 
worthy  of  all  acceptation,  that  Jesus  Christ  has  come  into  the  world  to 
save  sinners,  of  whom  I  am  chief. '  And,  if  need  be,  I  am  ready  to 
sign  this  with  my  blood,  to  the  glory  of  sovereign  g^ace.  In  this  way 
every  believer,  If  he  stands  in  this  attitude,  will  feel  inclined  to  testify 
with  me. 

"  Fifth,  it  is  this  knowledge  by  which  I  know,  in  the  light  of  the  Holy 
Spirit  shining  into  my  soul  through  the  Gospel  Jesus  Christ,  as  the 
most  willing  and  most  ready  Savior,  who  not  only  has  the  power  to  save 
and  to  reconcile  my  soul  to  God,  but  who  is  also  exceedingly  willing  to 
save  me.  '  My  God,  what  is  it  that  has  brought  about  such  a  change  in 
my  soul?  I  am  dumb  and  ashamed.  Lord  Jesus,  to  stand  before  Thee,  by 
reason  of  the  wrong  I  have  done  Thee,  and  of  the  hard  thoughts  which  I 
entertained  concerning  Thee,  O  precious  Jesus!  I  thought  that  Thou 
wast  unwilling  and  I  willing ;  I  thought  that  the  fault  lay  with  Thee  and 
not  with  me  ;  I  thought  that  I  was  a  willing  sinner  and  that  Thou  hadst 
to  be  entreated  with  much  crying  and  praying  and  tears  to  make  of  Thee, 
un-willing  Jesus,  a  willitig  Christ ;  and  I  could  not  believe  the  fault  lay 
with  me. ' 

"This  opposition  or  controversy  often  lasts  a  long  time  between  the 
sincere  soul  and  Christ,  and  never  ends  until  by  the  divine  light  one  sees 
the  willingness  of  Jesus.  However,  it  must  not  be  supposed  that  there 
has  been  no  faith  in  the  soul  during  that  time.  But  it  may  be  said  that, 
altho  there  has  been  faith,  there  has  been  no  exercise  of  faith  in  relation 
to  this  matter.  And  when  this  appears,  the  soul  says :  '  With  great  shame 
and  confusion  of  .soul  I  now  see  Thy  willingness.  Thou  hast  given  me 
the  evidence  of  Thy  willingness  by  Thy  coming  into  the  world  ;  by  Thy 
suffering  of  the  penalty  ;  by  Thy  invitation  to  me,  and  by  the  perseverance 
of  Thy  work  upon  my  heart. '  I  recall  my  former  unbelieving  words, 
spoken  from  the  deep  unbelief  of  my  heart,  and  I  cry  out :  '  Thou  art  a 
willing  Christ  and  I  was  an  unwilling  sinner.  My  God,  now  I  feel  that 
Thou  art  too  mighty  for  me.  Thou  hast  persuaded  me  ;  and  now  in  this 
day  of  Thy  power  I  will  not  and  can  not  hesitate  any  longer,  but  with  my 
hand  I  write  it  down  that  I  will  be  the  Lord's. ' 

"The  believing  knowledge  of  the  willingness  of  Jesus,  in  the  light  of 
the  Holy  Spirit  through  the  Gospel,  makes  me  see  my  former  unwilling- 
ness. But  as  soon  as  this  light  arises  in  the  soul  the  will  is  immediately 
bent  over  and  submissive.  They  who  say  that  Jesus  is  willing,  but  that  I 
remain  unwilling,  speak  from  mere  theory ;  but  they  lack  the  knowledge 
of  faith,  and  have  not  discovered  this  truth.  For  as  the  .shadow  follows 
the  body,  and  the  effect  the  cause,  so  is  the  believing  knowledge  of  the 
willingness  of  Christ  toward  me  immediately  followed  by  my  willingness 


TESTIMONIES  427 

toward  Him,  with  perfect  abandonment  of  myself  to  Him.  '  Thy  people 
shall  be  willing  in  the  day  of  Thy  power  '  (Psalm  ex.  3). 

"  Lastly,  by  this  knowledge  through  the  promise  of  the  Gospel,  and 
by  the  light  of  the  Holy  Spirit,  I  learn  to  know  the  Person  of  the  Media- 
tor in  His  personal  glory,  being  so  near  to  Hint  that  I  can  deal  with 
Him.  I  say,  '  in  the  promise  of  the  Gospel, '  to  show  the  difference  be- 
tween a  vision  of  ecstasy  like  that  of  Stephen  and  the  conceited  knowl- 
edge of  which  heretics  speak  outside  of  and  against  the  Word.  The 
Word  is  the  only  mirror  in  which  Christ  can  be  seen  and  known  by  saving 
faith.  And  herein  I  see  Him  in  His  personal  glory  with  the  eye  of  faith, 
so  near  as  I  ever  have  seen  any  object  with  the  bodily  eye.  For  this  in- 
wrought faith  and  the  light  of  the  Holy  Spirit  shining  thereon  brings  the 
Person  Himself  in  substantial  form  to  the  soul,  so  that  she  falls  in  love 
with  Him,  and  is  so  enchanted  with  Him  that  she  exclaims  :  '  My  Beloved 
is  white  and  ruddy,  the  chiefest  among  ten  thousand.  For  His  love  is 
stronger  than  death ;  jealousy  is  more  cruel  than  the  grave ;  the  coals 
thereof  are  coals  of  fire,  flames  of  the  Lord.  Many  waters  can  not  quench 
that  love  ;  if  a  man  would  give  all  the  substance  of  his  house  for  love,  it 
would  be  utterly  contemned  '  (Cant.  iii.  10 ;  viii.  6,  7) . 

"My  beloved,  faith  embraces  not  only  the  words  and  letters  of  the 
Gospel,  but  Christ  Himself  in  them.  Faith  converses,  not  with  the  let- 
ter alone,  but  with  Christ  in  the  letter.  Faith  has  two  foundations,  the 
Word  and  the  Substance.  It  does  not  build  upon  the  Word  alone,  which 
is  the  letter  of  the  Gospel ;  but  also  upon  the  Substance  in  the  Word,  viz., 
Jesus  Christ — i  Cor.  iii.  11.  The  Gospel  is  a  mirror,  but  if  Christ  does 
not  appear  before  the  mirror,  He  can  not  be  seen.  And  when  He  presents 
Himself,  it  is  not  the  mirror  which  is  the  end  of  faith,  but  the  Image  seen 
in  the  mirror.     It  is  wisdom  rightly  to  discern  this." 

Is  this  not  beautifully  said?  The  Lord  our  God  grant  to  many 
of  us  this  rich  and  pure  delight. 


THE 

WORK  OF  THE   HOLY  SPIRIT 


VOLUME  THREE 

The  Work  of  the  Holy  Spirit  in  the  Individual 
(Continued). 


first  (Tbapter. 
SANCTIFICATION. 


I. 

Sanctification. 


"  Of  Him  ye  are  in  Christ  Jesus,  who  of 
God  is  made  unto  us  wisdom,  and 
righteousness,  and  sanctification, 
and  redemption." — i  Cor.  i.  30. 

Sanctification  is  one  of  the  most  glorious  gifts  which,  by  the 
Covenant  of  Grace,  the  Mediator  bestows  upon  the  saint.  It 
covers  his  entire  mental,  spiritual,  and  physical  nature.  We 
should,  therefore,  thoroughly  understand  it,  and  learn  how  to  ob- 
tain it,  and  every  believer,  whatever  the  measure  of  his  faith, 
should  be  fully  aware  of  his  attitude  toward  it;  for  erroneous  views 
concerning  this  will  surely  lead  us  astray  from  the  living  Christ. 

It  is  foolish  to  think  that,  altho  present-day  heresies  have  af- 
fected the  doctrines  of  Christ,  Sin,  and  Regeneration,  Sanctification 
is  so  simple  as  not  to  be  affected.  Yet  even  ministers  fall  into  this 
sad  delusion.  Men  of  spiritual  fervor,  they  strictly  oppose  heresies 
concerning  these  others,  in  their  catechetical  and  pulpit  instructions, 
and  in  their  writings,  regarding  such  as  fundamental  error;  but 
somehow  they  never  realize  that  the  doctrine  of  sanctification  can 
be  imperiled,  and  they  fail  to  put  the  Church  on  guard. 

Such  imperiling  was  impossible;  and  so,  indeed,  they  hardly 
care  to  have  sanctification  distinguished  as  a  dogma  at  all.  "  On 
the  contrary,"  they  say,  "  it  is  the  beauty  of  sanctification  that  it  is 
life ;  hence  utterly  independent  of  the  mysteries  of  a  dogma.  In 
the  life  of  sanctification  believers  may  be  charged  with  neglect, 
careless  living,  slow  progress — in  brief,  with  faulty  doing  and  work- 
ing ;  for  what  is  sanctification  but  betterment  of  self  and  daily 


432  SANCTIFICATION 

growth  in  holiness?  but  never  with  faulty  confessing,  with  faulty 
views  of  the  doctrine;  for  sanctification  is  not  doctrine,  but  life." 
In  this  way  they  have  come  to  deny  it  the  value  and  dignity  of  a 
dogma  or  doctrine ;  to  make  it  almost  synonymous  with  bettering 
of  life ;  hence  to  make  it  the  common  property  of  all  that  try  to  lead 
earnest  and  pious  lives. 

Then  the  idea  naturally  grew  that  many  persons  of  unsound 
doctrine  might  lead  more  spiritual  lives.  This  supposed  fact  was 
even  fortified  with  the  word  of  Jesus,  that  publicans  and  harlots  go 
into  the  Kingdom  of  God  before  us;  and  the  congregations  often 
received  the  impression  that  rationalism  itself  might  lead  to  better 
results  than  sometimes  flow  from  an  orthodox  belief.  And  the  re- 
sult was  that  this  so-called  sanctification  led  to  a  weakening  of  the 
faith,  to  a  considering  of  purity  of  doctrine  as  immaterial;  until 
finally  it  assumed  a  hostile  attitude  toward  the  mysteries  of  the 
truth.  This  was  the  natural  effort  of  confounding  self-betterment 
with  sanctification,  and  of  opposing  life  to  doctrine  as  gold  to  tinsel. 

The  spread  of  these  false  ideas  of  sanctification  has  not  benefited 
Christianity  in  these  provinces,  but,  as  in  pre-Reformation  days,  it 
has  led  the  people  astray  from  its  pure  doctrine. 

Rome  once  suffered  and  suffers  still  from  the  same  evil.  Not 
as  tho  it  surrendered  or  even  slighted  its  doctrine ;  but,  even  in  the 
flourishing  days  of  its  hierarchy,  the  necessity  of  reformation  of  life 
was  so  strongly  felt  that  it  resulted  in  a  one-sided  urging  of  sancti- 
fication. Its  favorite  motto  was:  "Good  works."  They  were  of 
greatest  importance:  not  words,  but  power;  not  the  confession, 
but  the  earnestness  and  willingness  to  do  good,  not  merely  in 
secret,  but  openly  so  that  men  could  see  it !  This  was  carried  so  far 
that  finally  Rome  ceased  to  be  satisfied  with  good  works  as  fruit  of 
conversion,  and  even  began  to  look  upon  them  as  a  primary  and 
meritorious  cause  of  salvation ;  and  thus  it  broke  down  the  mystery 
of  faith  by  a  false  preaching  of  sanctification.  As  now,  uninten- 
tionally, by  the  cry,  "  Not  doctrine,  but  life,"  men  are  driven,  as 
by  iron  necessity,  first  to  underestimate  the  value  of  doctrine,  then 
to  disapprove  of  it,  and  lastly  to  pronounce  it  injurious,  yea,  even 
dangerous ;  so  did  the  cry  for  good  works  induce  Rome  gradually  to 
divorce  the  mystery  of  the  forgiveness  of  sin  from  the  cross  of  Cal- 
vary, not  in  the  confession,  but  in  the  conscience  of  its  members. 

For  the  sake  of  clearer  insight  and  safer  procedure,  we  must  re- 
turn to  the  definite  teaching  that  sanctification  is  a  doctrine,  an  in- 


SANCTIFIC  ATION  43  3 

tegral  part  of  the  confession,  a  mystery,  just  as  much  as  the  doctrine 
of  reconciliation,  and  therefore  a  dog?fia.  In  fact,  in  the  treatment 
of  sanctification  we  penetrate  the  very  heart  of  the  confession,  the 
dogma  which  scintillates  in  the  doctrine  of  sanctification. 

Of  course  we  are  not  to  divorce  sanctification  from  life.  No  child 
of  God  denies  that  the  doctrine  has  its  application  in  life ;  there  is 
no  truth  whose  operation  is  not  felt  in  his  life.  To  him  every  doc- 
trine is  instinct  with  life,  a  live  coal,  a  radiating  fire,  a  lamp 
always  burning,  a  well  of  living  water  springing  up  to  eternal  life. 
The  content  of  every  doctrine,  of  every  mystery,  is  something  in 
the  living  God  or  in  His  creature ;  the  confession  of  a  condition,  a 
power,  a  working,  a  person  who  actually  exists,  who  lives,  who 
works.  The  blood  of  atonement  means,  not  those  particular  drops 
which  flowed  from  the  cross,  and  were  lost  in  the  inhospitable 
ground  of  Calvary ;  but  a  treasure  in  the  living  Christ,  unceasingly 
at  work  in  heaven,  by  which  He  enriches  His  children  on  earth,  the 
glorious  power  of  which  they  know  and  experience. 

And  this  is  true  of  every  mystery,  as  our  confession  of  the  Holy 
Trinity  shows,  which  says  of  this  deepest  and  most  incomprehen- 
sible dogma :  "  That  God's  children  know  this  as  well  from  the  testi- 
monies of  Holy  Writ  as  from  the  operations  of  the  divine  Persons, 
and  chiefly  by  those  we  feel  in  ourselves"  (art.  ix.). 

And  this  applies  to  the  doctrine  of  sanctification  as  well  as  to  all 
other  doctrines ;  for  it  is  not,  any  more  than  the  other  dogmas,  the 
confession  of  a  lifeless  matter,  but  the  confession  of  an  awful  power, 
which  lives  and  works  effectually  in  us.  Hence  sanctification  must 
be  preached  once  again  as  a  doctrine j  it  must  be  confessed,  examined, 
and  studied  as  a  doctrine ;  to  be  followed  by  an  appropriate  applica- 
tion like  the  preaching  of  any  other  doctrine ;  and  godliness,  spiri- 
tual life,  and  good  works  will  be  the  result.  But  to  obtain  this  result 
a  clear  exposition  of  the  cause  and  animating  power  of  sanctifica- 
tion is  necessary. 

When  on  a  cold  morning  the  fire  does  not  bum,  and  the  family 
suffers,  it  is  foolish  to  say :  "  Since  the  fire  does  not  burn  remove  it, 
and  get  warm  without  it."  To  keep  from  freezing  requires  more 
fire  ;  not  the  fire,  but  the  cause  of  its  failure,  must  be  removed. 
And  this  applies  to  sanctification.  There  is  a  general  and  bitter 
complaint  of  the  coldness  that  has  fallen  upon  the  Church ;  and  it 
requires  the  powerful  working  of  sanctification  to  save  the  Church. 

But    the    means    employed   frequently  show  poor    judgment. 
28 


434  SANCTIFICATION 

Formerly  the  Church  confessed  a  pure  doctrine  by  which  it  kept 
close  to  the  source  of  vital  heat  which  is  given  us  in  God's  Word; 
and  the  powers  and  workings  deposited  in  the  Mediator  for  the 
Church  radiated  in  glorious  activity.  Then  the  Church  flourished 
and  faith  celebrated  its  greatest  triumphs.  It  was  severely  cold 
without,  but,  while  the  world  lay  perishing  in  its  cerements,  truth 
filled  the  Church  with  light  and  heat,  and  the  sacred  fire  of  a  pure 
doctrine  glowed  and  sparkled.  But  the  light  grew  dim,  and  the  fire 
went  out;  and  the  Church  of  God  became  dark  and  cold.  And  the 
saints,  half  frozen  and  stiff,  became  deeply  conscious  of  the  loss 
they  had  suffered,  and  of  the  need  of  light  and  heat.  And  now, 
instead  of  advising  them  to  light  the  lamp  of  truth  and  rekindle  the 
fire  of  the  confession,  that  their  souls  may  be  revived  and  com- 
forted, many  say :  "  Dear  brethren,  there  is  no  salvation  in  dogma 
or  confession ;  they  are  utterly  unprofitable ;  nothing  remains  but 
to  kindle  light  and  heat  in  your  souls  without  them."  And  thus 
the  Church  is  threatened  with  death  and  destruction. 

In  quiet  assurance  of  the  blessing  of  God,  we  proceed  in  the  oppo- 
site direction,  and  advise  the  brethren  to  fill  the  lamp  of  the  divine 
mysteries  with  oil,  to  put  more  fuel  upon  the  fire  of  the  confession ; 
then  there  shall  be  light  and  heat,  and  the  Church  shall  be  saved. 
This  shall  be  so,  provided — and  this  needs  no  emphasis — that  the 
doctrine  be  really  confessed.  To  confess  is  not  merely  to  say, 
"  There  is  a  comfortable  fire  in  the  house,"  and  then  to  stay  out  in 
the  cold;  but  to  accept  its  comfort  and  benefit  for  others  as  well  as 
for  ourselves. 

The  cry,  "  Not  dogma,  but  life,"  is  folly  and  unbelief.  Let  us 
rather  oppose  the  shallow  and  unsound  teaching  of  the  day.  The 
doctrine  should  be  a  faithful  expression  of  the  mystery ;  the  mys- 
tery should  stand  clearly  before  the  spiritual  eye  and  illuminate  the 
soul,  as  it  radiates  from  the  living  Christ,  according  to  the  design 
of  salvation.  Instead  of  turning  the  people  away  from  the  doc- 
trine, we  should  make  them  see  how  little  they  understand  it;  how 
they  have  trifled  with  it,  and  not  confessed  it;  that  their  soul's  wel- 
fare requires  its  earnest  study,  that  so  the  act  of  confessing  may 
deepen  and  enrich  their  spiritual  life.  And  then  let  us  imagine,  not 
that  the  fruit  of  life  must  still  be  imported  from  elsewhere,  but  that 
the  doctrine,  rightly  confessed,  becomes  its  own  instrument  to  mani- 
fest its  power  in  us. 

Thus  sanctification  should  be  treated. 


II. 

Sanctification  Is  a  Mystery. 

•'  Let  us  cleanse  ourselves  from  all  filthi- 
ness  of  flesh  and  spirit,  perfecting 
holiness  in  the  fear  of  God."— 2  Cor. 
vii.  I. 

Sanctification  belongs  to  the  mysteries  of  faith ;  hence  it  can 
not  be  confessed  but  as  a  dogma. 

By  this  statement  we  intend  to  cut  oflE  at  once  every  representa- 
tion which  makes  "  sanctification"  to  consist  of  the  human  effort  to 
make  oneself  holy  or  holier. 

To  become  more  holy  is  undoubtedly  the  duty  which  rests  upon 
every  man.  God  has  condemned  all  unholiness  as  an  accursed 
thing.  Inferior  holiness  can  not  exist  before  Him.  Every  man 
more  or  less  holy  is  bound  to  forsake  all  unholiness.  to  resigti  all 
lesser  holiness,  and  let  perfect  holiness  dwell  and  be  manifest  in 
him  instantly.  The  commandment,  "  Be  ye  holy  as  I  am  holy," 
may  not  be  weakened.  The  laxity  of  the  current  morale  requires 
that  God's  absolute  right  to  demand  absolute  holiness  of  every  man 
be  incessantly  presented  to  the  conscience,  bound  as  a  memorial 
upon  the  heart,  and  proclaimed  to  all  with  no  uncertain  sound. 

In  the  innumerable  territories  of  heaven  where  God  gathers  His 
redeemed,  all  unholiness  is  excluded  and  absolute  holiness  is  the 
never-failing  characteristic.  And  as  it  is  in  heaven,  so  it  ought  to 
be  on  earth.  God,  the  sovereign  Ruler  of  all  the  kingdoms  of  this 
world,  has  strictly  forbidden  the  least  unholiness  in  heart  or  home 
or  any  other  place  on  earth  under  the  penalty  of  death.  In  fact, 
there  is  on  earth  no  unholiness,  of  whatever  name  or  form,  that 
does  not  exist  in  defiance  of  His  express  will. 

It  must  be  conceded,  therefore,  that  it  is  His  revealed  will  and 
commandment  that  all  this  unholiness  must  cease  immediately,  and 
be  replaced  directly  by  what  is  holy  and  good.  He  is  of  purer  eyes 
than  to  behold  iniquity. 

It  must  be  equally  conceded  that  it  is  every  man's  duty  to  re- 


436  SANCTIFICATION 

move  unholiness,  and  to  advance  the  things  that  are  holy.     He  that\ 
caused  the  hurt  must  also  heal  it.     He  that  destroyed  must  also  re- 
store the  things  destroyed.     He  that  desecrated  the  holy  must  also 
reconsecrate  it.     Men  still  alive  to  a  sense  of  justice  will  not  con- 
tradict us. 

The  obligation  to  resanctify  this  world's  life  rests  in  its  deepest 
sense  upon  Satan.  He  instilled  into  our  veins  the  poison  which 
generates  the'diseases  of  our  souls.  The  spark  that  caused  the  fire 
of  sinful  passions  to  break  out  in  human  nature  was  kindled  by  him. 
That  Satan  is  hopelessly  lost  and  condemned,  does  not  annul  God's 
eternal  right.  Even  Satan  himself,  according  to  this  right,  ought 
immediately  to  repent  and  stand  before  God  holy  as  in  the  begin- 
ning. And  this  world  of  men,  which  he  corrupted,  was  not  his,  but 
belonged  to  God.  He  should  never  have  touched  it.  Hence  the 
obligation  continues  to  rest  upon  him  not  only  to  stop  his  unholy 
working  in  it,  but  also  to  reconsecrate  perfectly  what  he  has  so  bit- 
terly and  maliciously  profaned. 

That  Satan  neither  will  nor  can  do  this  justifies  his  fearful  judg- 
ment; but  it  does  not  annul  God's  right  and  never  will.  If  in  Para- 
dise man  had  unwillingly  fallen  a  victim  to  Satan,  the  obligation  to 
resanctify  the  life  of  this  world  would  have  rested  upon  Satan,  but 
not  upon  him.  But  man  fell  willingly  j  sin  owes  its  existence  not 
only  to  the  fatherhood  of  Satan,  but  also  to  the  motherhood  of 
man's  soul ;  hence  man  himself  is  involved  in  the  guilt  and  included 
under  the  judgment  of  death,  and  therefore  obliged  to  restore  what 
he  has  ruined. 

God  created  man  holy,  with  the  power  to  continue  holy ;  holy 
also  by  virtue  of  the  increasing  development  of  the  implanted  germ. 
But  man  ruined  God's  work  in  his  heart.  He  soiled  the  undefiled 
raiment  of  holiness.  And  doing  this  he  violated  the  right.  If  he 
had  belonged  to  himself,  if  God  had  allowed  him  to  do  with  him- 
self as  he  pleased,  the  right  would  not  have  been  violated.  But 
He  did  not  give  man  to  himself;  He  retained  him  for  Himself  as 
His  own  property.  The  hand  that  ruined  and  desecrated  man 
destroyed  God's  property,  encroached  upon  the  divine  right  of 
sovereignty — yea,  upon  His  very  right  of  ownership,  and  thus  be- 
came liable  (i)  to  the  penalty  for  this  encroachment,  and  (2)  to  the 
obligation  of  restoring  the  ruined  property  to  its  original  state. 

Hence  the  undeniable  and  positive  obligation  of  man's  self- 
sanctifi cation.     This  obligation  rests,   not  upon  God,  nor  upon  the 


SANCTIFICATION    IS   A   MYSTERY  437 

Mediator,  but  upon  man  and  Satan.  The  prayer,  "  Lord,  sanctify 
me,"  upon  the  lips  of  the  unconverted,  not  under  the  Covenant 
of  Grace,  is  most  unbecoming.  First  wilfully  to  destroy  God's 
property,  and  then  to  take  the  ruined  thing  to  Him  demanding  that 
He  heal  and  restore  it,  antagonizes  the  right  and  reverses  the  ordi- 
nances. Nay,  outside  of  the  mysteries  of  the  Covenant  of  Grace, 
under  the  obligations  of  simple  justice,  we  are  not  to  ask :  "  Lord, 
sanctify  Thou  us,"  but  God  is  to  enforce  His  righteous  claim: 
"  Sanctify  thyself." 

Sanctify  thyself  does  not  mean  that  man  should  fulfil  the  law. 
The  keeping  of  the  law  and  sanctification  are  two  entirely  different 
things.  Let  the  sinner  first  be  sanctified,  and  then  he  shall  also 
fulfil  the  law.     First  sanctification,  th^n  fulfihnent  of  the  law. 

It  is  like  a  harp  with  broken  strings.  The  harp  was  made  to  pro- 
duce music  by  the  harmonious  vibration  of  the  strings.  But  the 
production  of  music  is  not  the  mending  of  the  harp.  The  broken 
strings  must  be  replaced,  the  new  strings  must  be  tuned,  and  then 
is  it  possible  to  strike  the  melodious  chords.  The  human  heart 
is  like  that  harp :  God  created  it  pure  that  we  might  keep  the  law ; 
which  an  impure  heart  can  not  do.  Hence  being  profaned  and 
unholy,  it  must  be  sanctified ;  then  it  will  be  able  to  fulfil  the  law. 

For  the  sake  of  clearness,  two  acknowledged  facts  should  be 
noticed : 

First,  if  man  had  never  been  profaned  by  sin,  it  would  never  have 
entered  his  mind  to  sanctify  himself;  and  yet  the  law  would  have 
been  fulfilled  without  disturbance.  This  shows  that  sanctification 
and  fulfilment  of  the  law  are  two  entirely  different  things. 

Second,  sanctification  continues  until  a  man  dies  and  enters 
heaven.  Then  he  is  holy.  Hence  there  is  no  sanctification  in 
heaven.  Yet  the  only  occupation  of  the  saints  in  heaven  is  the 
doing  of  that  which  is  good.  Hence  sanctification  is  a  matter  by 
itself;  it  does  not  consist  in  the  doing  of  good  works,  but  must  be 
an  accomplished  fact  before  a  single  good  work  can  be  done. 

Since  man  profaned  himself,  he  is  called  of  God  to  resanctify 
himself.  Hence  the  claim  of  sanctification  contains  not  even  the 
shadow  of  a  mystery.  It  has  nothing  to  do  with  the  mysteries, 
therefore  is  no  dogma.  It  is  the  simplest  and  most  natural  verdict 
of  God's  right  in  the  conscience.  That  we  speak  of  unholiness  im- 
plies that  we  are  convinced  that  we  ought  to  be  holy. 


438  SANCTIFICATION 

Is  there  contradiction,  then,  when  we  say,  first,  that  sanctification 
itself  is  a  mystery,  and  can  be  confessed  only  in  the  dogma ;  second 
that  the  demand  of  sanctification  has  nothing  to  do  with  the  dogma? 

Not  in  the  least.  Sinners  of  whom  God  demands  that  they 
sanctify  themselves  are,  individually  and  collectively,  totally  un- 
able to  satisfy  that  demand.  To  a  certain  extent  they  can  with- 
draw from  sin  and  worldliness,  and  often  have  done  so.  Many  un- 
converted men  have  done  many  praiseworthy  works.  In  many  cases 
lives  have  been  reformed,  the  whole  tone  of  existence  has  been 
improved  from  mere  impulse,  without  a  trace  of  real  conversion. 
And,  conceiving  sanctification  to  consist  in  the  doing  of  less  evil 
and  of  more  good,  and  that  from  an  improved  motive,  it  was 
thought  that  unholy  man,  tho  unable  to  satisfy  this  divine  claim 
perfectly,  might  satisfy  it  to  some  extent.  But  all  this  has  nothing 
in  common  with  sanctification,  and  can  be  accomplished  wholly 
without  it.  With  all  his  self-betterment  he  can  not  effect  the  least 
part  of  it ;  tho  told  a  thousand  times  to  sanctify  himself,  he  is  both 
unwilling  and  unable. 

Hence  the  question :  How,  then,  is  sanctification  to  be  accomplished  1 
And  since  the  question  never  received  an  answer  from  any  of  the 
sages,  but  only  from  God  in  His  Word,  therefore  not  the  demand, 
but  the  means,  of  sanctification  is  for  us  incomprehensible  and 
mysterious.  Hence  the  character  of  sanctification  must  be  empha- 
sized as  a  mystery. 

And  what  is  the  reason  for  denying  that  sanctification  is  a  mys- 
tery, i.e.,  the  content  of  a  dogma?  The  supposition  that  it  is  of 
human  origin,  that  man  is  not  totally  unable,  and  that  sanctifica- 
tion is  betterment  of  character  and  life.  Hence  it  is  tantamount  to 
(I)  a  lowering  of  holiness  to  the  human  standpoint;  (2)  an  oppo- 
sing sanctification  as  a  work  of  God.  And  this  is  a  very  serious 
matter.  We  should  again  become  clearly  conscious  of  the  fact 
that  the  holiness  without  which  no  man  shall  see  God  is  not  at- 
tained by  the  departing  from  some  evil  and  the  habitual  doing  of 
some  good. 

The  demand  of  sanctification  belongs  to  the  Covenant  of  Works ; 
sanctification  itself  to  the  Covenant  of  Grace.  This  makes  the 
difference  very  obvious.  Not  as  tho  the  Covenant  of  Works  com- 
manded man  to  sanctify  himself;  given  to  holy  men,  it  excluded 
sanctification.     But  God  gave  the  Covenant  of  Grace  to  unholy 


SANCTIFICATION    IS    A   MYSTERY  439 

men.  And  the  only  connection  between  the  demand  for  sanctifica- 
tion  and  the  Covenant  of  Works  is,  that  the  latter  ever  pursues 
fallen  man  with  this  demand,  and  with  the  terror  of  Horeb.  Un- 
holiness  destroys  the  foundation  of  the  Covenant  of  Works  and 
renders  compliance  with  its  conditions  impossible.  Hence  the 
absolute  contradiction  between  it  and  the  sinner's  personal  life. 
The  one  must  make  room  for  the  other;  they  can  not  stand  to- 
gether. 

In  this  painful  conflict  we  are  often  tempted  to  ask  whether  God 
is  not  unjust  in  His  law  to  demand  of  us  the  impossible,  and  to  lay 
the  blame  on  Him;  for  did  He  not  make  us  so?  And  from  this 
difficulty  the  Arminian  in  our  own  heart  seeks  to  escape,  either  by 
denying  that  there  ever  was  a  Covenant  of  Works,  or  by  substitu- 
ting the  fulfilment  of  the  law  for  sanctification. 

Wherefore  it  is  our  aim,  especially  regarding  this  doctrine,  to 
escape  from  this  harmful  confusion  of  ideas,  and  to  arrive  at  a  cor- 
rect understanding  and  purity  of  expression.  The  preaching  must 
not  add  to  the  chaos,  but  lead  us  to  clear  insight  and  understanding. 
Instead  of  sweetly  cradling  ourselves  upon  the  Word,  we  must 
earnestly  endeavor  to  understand  it.  In  city  and  country  church 
the  Word  must  be  preached  persistently,  and  with  ever-increasing 
purity,  imtil,  convicted  of  personal  unholiness,  men  begin  to  see 
that  by  absolute  sanctification,  not  mere  self-betterment,  they  must 
restore  unto  God  His  right;  until,  feeling  their  inability,  with 
broken  hearts  they  turn  to  God  to  receive  the  Mystery  of  Sanctifica- 
tion from  the  treasures  of  the  Covenant  of  Grace. 


III. 

Sanctification  and  Justification. 

"  Yield  your  members  servants  to 
righteousness  unto  sanctifica- 
tion."— Rom.  vi.  19. 

Sanctification  must  remain  sanctification.  It  may  not  arbi- 
trarily be  robbed  of  its  significance,  nor  be  exchanged  for  some- 
thing else.  It  must  always  signify  the  making  holy  of  what  is 
unholy  or  less  holy. 

Care  must  be  taken  not  to  confound  sanctification  with  justifica- 
tion ;  a  common  mistake,  frequently  made  by  thoughtless  Scripture 
readers.  Hence  the  importance  of  a  thorough  understanding  of  this 
difference.  Being  left  unnoticed,  it  may  lead  to  confused  preach- 
ing, which  causes  one-sidedness;  and  active  and  thoughtful  men 
invariably  systematize  their  one-sidedness. 

What,  then,  is  the  difference?  According  to  our  ancient  theolo- 
gians it  is  fourfold : 

1.  Justification  •^oxY^for  man;  sanctification  in  man. 

2.  Justification  removes  the  ^?////y  sanctification  the  .?/«;>/. 

3.  Justification  imputes  to  us  an  extraneous  righteousness; 
sanctification  works  a  righteousness  inheretit  as  our  own. 

4.  Justification  is  at  once  completed ;  sanctification  increases 
gradually ;  hence  remains  imperfect. 

In  the  main  the  answer  is  correct,  but  insufficient  to  meet  pres- 
ent error.  It  is  shallow,  external,  and  incomplete ;  makes  too  much 
of  righteous-w<2/^7«^  and  holy-making,  while  it  does  not  consider 
righteous«^Jx  and  hoWness,  a  correct  idea  of  which  is  absolutely 
necessary  for  the  clear  understanding  of  justification  and  sanctifica- 
tion. 

Let  us  examine  these  fundamental  ideas,  first,  in  God  Himself. 
It  becomes  evident  at  once  that  the  words,  "  Our  God  is  righteous," 
impress  us  otherwise  than,  "  Holy,  holy,  holy  is  the  Lordl" 


SANCTIFICATION   AND   JUSTIFICATION      441 

The  latter  impresses  us  with  the  feeling  that  the  name  of  Je- 
hovah is  infinitely  exalted  above  the  low  level  of  this  impure  and 
sinful  life;  we  discover  a  distance  between  Him  and  ourselves 
which,  as  it  widens  in  more  transcendent  holiness,  casts  us  back 
into  ourselves  as  impure  creatures,  while  it  causes  His  Being  to  be 
resplendent  in  the  light  unapproachable.  If  the  angels  exalting 
His  holiness  cover  their  faces  with  their  wings,  how  much  more 
ought  we  sinful  men  consider  it  with  covered  face  and  in  godly 
fear!  "  The  Lord  is  of  purer  eyes  than  to  behold  evil,"  impresses 
us  with  the  deep  sense  of  God's  unspeakable  sensitiveness,  which 
is  so  keen  that  even  the  faintest  suggestion  of  sin  or  impurity 
arouses  in  Him  such  antipathy  that  He  can  not  bear  the  sight  of  it. 

But  guilt  is  out  of  the  question.  In  the  presence  of  the  divine 
holiness  we  do  not  feel  guilty,  but  are  overwhelmed  by  the  con- 
sciousness of  our  utter  uncleanness  and  wickedness.  Even  among 
men  we  do  not  always  feel  quite  satisfied  with  ourselves.  Our 
brother's  warmer  zeal  and  love  often  make  us  feel  ashamed.  Yet 
the  feeling  does  not  amount  to  loathing  of  self.  But  in  the  pres- 
ence of  the  holiness  of  God  we  feel  at  once  with  Isaiah  our  spiritual 
impurity,  and  are  inclined  to  cry  for  a  live  coal  from  the  altar  to 
sanctify  our  lips;  and  the  word  "  loathing  of  self"  is  not  too  strong 
to  express  our  feeling  as  we  prostrate  ourselves  before  the  holiness 
of  the  Lord  Jehovah. 

This  establishes  the  antithesis  at  once.  The  divine  holiness  in 
its  most  exalted  aspect  affects  us,  not  with  fear  of  punishment, 
or  with  anguish,  because  we  owe  a  debt  that  we  can  not  pay ;  but 
with  dissatisfaction  with  ourselves,  with  abhorrence  of  our  unclean- 
ness, and  contempt  for  our  righteousnesses  which  are  as  filthy  rags. 
It  makes  us  feel,  not  our  guilt,  but  our  sin  ;  not  our  condemnation, 
but  our  hopeless  wickedness  ;  it  does  not  crush  us  under  the  penalty 
of  the  law,  but  it  causes  us  to  be  consumed  by  our  impurity;  it 
does  not  overwhelm  us  by  righteousness,  but  it  uncovers  our  un- 
holiness  and  inward  corruption. 

But  the  divine  righteousness  affects  us  altogether  differently. 
It  does  not  impress  me  with  the  transcendence  of  His  exalted  Cove- 
nant name  as  the  divine  holiness ;  but  in  God's  hand  it  oppresses 
me,  pursues  me,  leaves  me  no  rest,  seizes  me,  and  breaks  me  to 
pieces  under  its  weight.  His  holiness  makes  the  soul  thirst  after 
holiness,  and  with  sorrow  we  see  His  majesty  depart.     But  His 


442  SANCTIFICATION 

righteousness  antagonizes  the  soul,  which  does  not  desire  it,  but 
struggles  to  escape  from  it. 

Sometimes  it  seems  different,  but  only  seemingly  so.  Godly 
men  in  the  Old  and  New  Covenants  frequently  invoke  the  divine 
righteousness.  "  Shall  not  the  Judge  of  all  the  earth  do  right?" 
This  divine  upholding  of  the  right  is  the  strength,  the  prospect,  and 
the  consolation  of  His  oppressed  people.  This  is  why  in  the  closing 
article  of  their  Confession  our  fathers  cry  for  the  day  of  judgment, 
when  as  the  righteous  Judge  He  shall  destroy  all  His  enemies  and 
ours.  Yet  the  difference  is  only  seeming.  In  this  case  the  divine 
right  is  directed  against  others,  not  ourselves;  but  the  eifect  is  the 
same.  It  is  His  people's  prayer  and  hope  that  the  divine  right 
pursue  those  enemies,  and  deal  with  them  according  to  their  de- 
serts. 

Hence  God's  righteousness  impresses  us,  first,  with  the  fact  of 
His  authority  over  us;  that  not  we,  but  He  must  determine  what  is 
right,  and  how  we  ought  to  be ;  that  all  our  opposition  is  vain,  for 
His  power  will  enforce  the  right;  hence  that  we  must  suffer  the 
effects  of  that  righteousness. 

But  it  is  not  merely  the  power  of  the  right  that  impresses  us, 
neither  the  consciousness  that  we  are  taken  and  judged,  but  much 
more,  that  we  are  taken  and  judged  righteously.  And  not  this  arbi- 
trarily; on  the  contrary,  we  feel  inwardly  that  the  divine  might  is 
right,  and  therefore  may  and  must  overpower  us. 

Hence  the  divine  righteousness  includes  the  creature's  acknowl- 
edgment :  "  The  prerogative  to  determine  the  right  is  not  mine,  but 
His."  And  not  only  this,  but  our  souls  are  deeply  conscious  that 
God's  decisions  are  not  only  right  and  good,  but  absolutely  righteous 
and  superlatively  good. 

The  divine  righteousness  brings  us  face  to  face  with  a  direct 
working  of  the  divine  sovereignty.  All  earthly  sovereignty  is  but  a 
feeble  reflection  of  the  divine;  but  sufficiently  clear  to  show  us  its 
fundamental  features.  A  sovereign  is  deemed  sufficiently  wise  to 
see  how  things  ought  to  be ;  and  qualified  to  determine  that  so  they 
shall  be ;  and  power/id  to  resist  him  who  dares  be  otherwise.  This 
applies  also  to  the  King  of  kings;  or  rather,  it  applies,  not  to 
Him  also,  but  to  Him  alone.  He  alone  is  the  Wisdom  with  absolute 
certainty  to  choose,  and  according  to  this  choice  to  see  how  every- 
thing must  be  to  be  its  best.  He  alone  is  the  holy  Qualified  One, 
according  to  this  to  determine  how  everything  must  be.     And  He 


SANCTIFICATION    AND   JUSTIFICATION      443 

is  the  alone-Aft'^/ify  to  condemn  and  destroy  what  dares  be  other- 
wise. 

And  this  reveals  the  deepest  features  of  the  contrast.  The  holi- 
ness of  God  relates  to  His  Being  ;  the  righteousness  of  God  to  His 
Soi'ereignty.  Or,  His  righteousness  touches  His  relation  a.nA position 
to  the  creature ;  His  holiness  points  to  His  own  inward  Being. 


IV. 
Sanctification  and  Justification  {Continued). 

•'  He  that  is  holy,  let  him  be  holy  still." 
— Rev.  xxii.  ii. 

The  divine  Righteousness,  having  reference  to  the  divine  Sover- 
eignty, in  one  sense  does  not  manifest  itself  until  God  enters  into 
relationship  with  the  creatures.  He  was  glorious  in  holiness  from 
all  eternity,  for  man's  creation  did  not  modify  His  Being;  but  His 
righteousness  could  not  be  displayed  before  creation,  because  right 
presupposes  two  beings  sustaining  the  jural  relation. 

An  exile  on  an  uninhabited  island  can  not  be  righteous  nor  do 
righteously;  he  can  not  even  conceive  of  the  jural  relation  so 
long  as  there  is  no  man  present  whose  rights  he  must  respect,  or 
who  can  deny  his  rights.  The  arrival  of  other  men  will  necessarily 
create  the  jural  relation  between  him  and  them.  But  so  long  as  he 
remains  alone,  he  may  be  holy  or  unholy,  but  he  can  not  be  said  to 
be  righteous  or  unrighteous.  In  like  manner  it  may  be  said  of  God 
that  before  creation  He  was  holy,  but  could  not  display  His  right- 
eousness simply  because  there  were  no  creatures  sustaining  toward 
Him  the  jural  relation.  But  immediately  after  the  creation  the 
display  of  righteousness  became  possible. 

Still  the  illustration  can  be  applied  to  God  only  to  a  certain  ex- 
tent. Essentially  God  is  not  alone,  but  Triune  in  persons;  hence 
there  is  between  the  Father  and  the  Son  and  the  Holy  Spirit  a  mu- 
tual relation.  This  relation,  being  the  highest,  tenderest,  and  most 
intimate,  contains  from  eternity  the  completest  expression  of  right- 
eousness. And  even  with  reference  to  the  creature,  the  divine 
righteousness  did  not  originate  until  after  the  creation,  but  finds 
perfect  expression  in  the  eternal  counsel.  That  counsel  not  only 
determines  every  possible  jural  relation  between  the  creatures  and 
the  Creator,  and  the  creatures  themselves,  but  indicates  also  the 
means  whereby  this  relation  must  be  restored  when  broken  or  dis- 
turbed. 


SANCTIFICATION   AND   JUSTIFICATION      445 

Hence  His  righteousness  is  as  eternal  as  His  Being;  yet,  in  order 
to  express  clearly  the  difference  between  holiness  and  righteousness, 
we  may  say  that  as  His  holiness  was  glorious  from  eternity,  so  is 
His  righteousness  displayed  and  exercised  only  in  time,  i.e.,  since 
the  creature  began  to  exist.  It  did  not  originate  then,  but  became 
perceptible  then.  Whatever  may  be  said  on  the  subject,  the  funda- 
mental difference  remains  that  God  is  holy  even  tho  considered 
alone  by  Himself;  while  His  righteousness  begins  to  radiate  when 
He  is  considered  in  relation  to  His  creatures. 

God  is  holy  essentially ;  before  the  least  impurity  existed,  there 
was  in  Him  vital  pressure  to  repel  all  foreign  mingling  with  His 
Being.  But  only  as  Sovereign  could  He  determine  the  right,  main- 
tain the  violated  right,  and  execute  righteousness  upon  the  violater. 

In  its  fundamental  features  this  applies  to  us  as  men.  Even  in  us 
righteousness  is  entirely  different  from  holiness;  the  former  has 
exclusive  reference  to  our  relation  to  and  position  before  God,  man, 
and  angel ;  while  holiness  refers,  not  to  any  relation,  but  to  the 
quality  of  our  inner  being.  We  speak  of  righteousness  only  when 
it  concerns  our  relation  to  God  or  man.  Noah  is  said  to  have  been 
a  righteous  man  "  in  his  generation,"  which  indicates  not  his  essen- 
tial quality,  but  his  relation  to  others. 

Righteousness  implies  right,  which  is  unthinkable  but  as  exist- 
ing between  two  persons  in  connection  with  the  qualification  of 
either  one  or  of  a  third  to  determine  that  right.  Hence  man's 
righteousness  with  reference  to  God  has  a  twofold  aspect : 

First,  it  implies  the  acknowledgment  of  God's  sovereign  qualifi- 
cations to  determine  man's  relation  to  God  and  man. 

Second,  it  implies  reverence  for  the  divine  laws  and  ordinances 
enacted  with  regard  to  man's  service  of  God. 

A  man  may  keep  strictly  some  of  these  ordinances,  not  from  the 
motive  of  reverence,  but  because  he  is  compelled  to  approve  them. 
In  some  respects  he  gives  God  His  due ;  but  His  position  is  wrong. 
He  fails  to  honor  God  as  his  sovereign  Ruler,  to  acknowledge  God 
as  God,  and  to  bow  before  His  majesty. 

Or  he  may  reverence  the  divine  authority  in  the  abstract,  but  in 
practise  constantly  rob  God  of  His  right. 

Therefore  original  righteousness,  which  has  reference  to  man's 
status  before  God  as  a  creature,  and  derived  righteousness,  which 
refers  to  the  act  of  honoring  the  divine  ordinances,  are  two  differ- 


446  SANCTIFICATION 

ent  things.  Both  are  righteousness — i.e.,  the  act  of  occupying  the 
position  divinely  ordained.  But  the  first  refers  to  our  personal 
standing  in  the  position  determined  by  God;  the  second  to  the 
act  of  conforming  our  thoughts,  words,  and  deeds  to  His  divine 
requirements. 

It  is  unnecessary  to  speak  particularly  of  righteousness  with 
reference  to  men.  Whatever  we  do  in  relation  to  them  is  righteous 
or  unrighteous  according  to  its  conformity  or  non-conformity  to  the 
divine  ordinance,  and  every  transgression  against  the  neighbor  be- 
comes sin  only  because  it  is  in  non-conformity  to  the  righteousness 
of  God. 

Briefly,  man's  righteousness  consists  of  two  parts: 

First,  that  his  status  be  what  God  has  determined. 

Second,  that  his  thoughts,  words,  and  deeds  be  conformed  to  the 
divine  ordinances.  Hence  our  righteousness  need  not  be  the  product 
oj  our  07V71  soul's  labor.  The  original  righteousness  of  Adam  and 
Eve  lacked  nothing,  altho  they  had  not  done  anything  to  it  person- 
ally. They  simply  stood  in  the  right  position  before  God — a  posi- 
tion not  self-assumed,  but  divinely  determined.  And  so  may  the 
right,  after  it  is  disturbed,  be  restored  independently  of  the  viola- 
tor, by  a  third  person.  The  question  is  not  how  the  right  relation 
was  restored,  but  whether  it  agrees  again  with  God's  sovereign  will. 

He  that  delivers  a  debtor  from  imprisonment  by  paying  his  debts 
restores  him  to  his  right  relation  to  his  former  creditors,  even  tho 
the  prisoner  himself  did  not  pay  a  farthing  of  the  debt.  Because 
righteousness  has  reference  to  mutual  relations,  the  right  is  satis- 
fied as  soon  as  the  disturbed  relation  is  restored  and  the  lost  posi- 
tion recovered.     JJo7v  it  was  accomplished  is  immaterial. 

This  gives  us  a  deeper  insight  into  the  profound  significance  of 
the  cross,  and  why  it  is  that  our  righteousness  can  not  be  increased 
nor  decreased,  altho  it  does  not  affect  our  essential  character. 

Entirely  different  is  the  soul's  holiness,  which  touches  directly 
the  quality  of  person  and  character;  as  our  ancient  theologians 
correctly  expressed  it:  "Justification  SiC\.s /or  man;  sanctification 
inheres  in  man." 

The  ungodly  is  justified,  i.e.,  the  very  moment  that  he  believes; 
before  sanctification  has  begun  to  operate  in  him,  he  knows  that  he 
stands  before  God  perfectly  right.  He  is  not  merely  beginning  to 
be  right;  partly  right,  to  be  a  little  more  right  to-morrow,  and  per- 


SANCTIFICATION   AND   JUSTIFICATION      447 

fectly  right  when  he  enters  heaven;  but  perfectly  right  now, 
henceforth,  and  forevermore.  He  is  righted  not  only  for  the  pres- 
ent and  for  all  eternity,  but  also  for  the  past.  He  is  assured  of 
standing  before  God  in  flawless  right,  as  tho  he  had  never  been 
wrong,  nor  ever  could  be  wrong  again. 

Hence -the  consciousness  of  being  justified  is  instantaneous  and 
at  once  complete,  and  can  not  be  increased  nor  decreased.  And 
this  is  possible  because  this  righteousness  has  nothing  to  do  with 
his  being,  but  has  exclusive  reference  to  the  relation  in  which  he 
sees  himself  placed.  This  relation  was  miserable  and  wholly  un- 
righteous ;  but  another,  outside  of  himself,  has  restored  that  rela- 
tion and  made  it  what  it  ought  to  be.  Hence  he  stands  right, 
without  any  reference  whatever  to  his  personal  being.  This  is  the 
deep  significance  of  the  confession  that  he  who  is  justified  is  always 
a?i  ungodly  person. 

But  this  is  not  the  case  in  regard  to  man's  holiness;  that  touches 
his  person  and  can  not  be  effected  outside  of  his  inward  being. 


V. 
Holy  Raiment  of  One's  Own  Weaving. 

"  I  dwell  in  the  high  and  holy  places." 
— Isa.  Ivii.  15. 

Holiness  inheres  in  man's  being. 

There  is  external  holiness,  e.g.,  that  of  the  Levitical  order, 
effected  by  washing  or  sprinkling  with  sacrificial  blood ;  or  official 
holiness,  denoting  separation  for  divine  service,  in  which  sense  the 
prophets  and  apostles  are  called  holy,  and  church-members  are 
called  holy  and  beloved.  But  these  have  nothing  to  do  with  the 
sanctification  now  under  discussion. 

Sanctification  as  a  gift  of  grace  refers  to  a  man's  personal  holi- 
ness. As  the  divine  holiness  is  God's  exaltation  above,  and  angry 
recoil  from  all  impurity  and  defilement,  so  is  human  holiness  man's 
essential  disposition  by  which  spontaneously  he  loves  purity  and 
hates  the  unclean.  Victory  over  temptation  after  a  long  and  pain- 
ful conflict,  in  which  our  feet  had  wellnigh  slipped,  is  not  holiness. 

Holiness  signifies  a  disposition,  an  inherent  quality,  or,  by  an- 
other manner  of  speaking,  a  tint  or  shade  adopted  by  the  soul,  so 
that  the  heart's  evil  manifestations  and  Satan's  wicked  whisperings 
fill  us  with  positive  horror.  As  the  musically  trained  ear  is  pain- 
fully affected  by  a  dissonance  as  it  vibrates  along  the  shuddering 
auditory  nerve,  while  the  unmusical  ear  never  perceives  the  offense 
against  the  purity  of  tone,  so  is  the  difference  between  the  sancti- 
fied and  the  unsanctified.  Whatever  the  world's  moral  dissonances 
may  be,  they  fail  to  affect  the  ungodly,  who  even  praise  the  music; 
but  they  distress  the  saint  whose  soul  delights  in  the  harmony  of 
holy  concord. 

This  holy  or  unholy  disposition  includes  our  entire  inward  be- 
ing; it  inheres  in  mind,  conscience,  understanding,  will,  feelings, 
and  inclinations.  Evil  and  impure  speech  affords  pleasure  or  pain 
to  all  these. 

Yet  this  is  not  the  final  token  of  being  holy  or  unholy.  Some- 
thing more  is  required.  Do  not  many  of  the  imregenerate  shudder 
at  much  that  is  evil,  and  delight  in  much  that  is  good.^    Sympathy 


HOLY  RAIMENT  OF  ONE'S  OWN  WEAVING     449 

for  the  good  may  be  called  holiness  only  when  it  possesses  this 
essential  feature,  that  it  wills  the  good  for  God's  sake  alone. 

God  alone  is  holy.  There  is  no  holiness  but  that  which  descends 
from  Him,  the  Fountain  of  all  good,  hence  of  all  holiness.  Mere 
human  holiness  is  a  counterfeit,  an  attack  upon  God's  honor  of 
being  the  sole  and  only  Fountain  of  all  good.  It  is  the  creature's 
effort  to  be  equal  with  God,  and  as  such  essential  sin.  Nay, 
man's  holiness  must  be  the  divinely  implanted  disposition,  stirring 
his  entire  being  to  love  what  God  loves,  not  from  his  own  taste,  but 
for  His  Name's  sake. 

Being  planned  after  the  divine  image,  Adam  and  Eve  possessed 
this  holiness;  hence  discord  between  them  and  their  Maker  was 
impossible.  Their  holiness  was  not  in  germ  merely,  but  complete, 
for  everything  in  them  was  in  perfect  accord  with  God.  And  the 
redeemed  in  heaven  are  holy  ;  in  death  they  are  severed  completely 
from  the  internal  source  of  sin ;  they  are  essentially  in  full  and 
warm  sympathy  with  the  divine  holiness,  whose  every  feature  at- 
tracts them. 

But  the  sinner  has  lost  this  holiness.  It  is  his  misery  that  every 
expression  of  his  being  is  naturally  in  collision  with  the  will  of  God, 
whose  holiness  does  not  attract,  but  repels  him.  And  mere  regen- 
eration does  not  sanctify  his  inclination  and  disposition ;  nor  is  it 
able  of  itself  to  germinate  the  holy  disposition.  But  it  requires  the 
Holy  Spirit's  additional  and  very  peculiar  act,  whereby  the  disposition 
of  the  regenerated  and  converted  sinner  is  brought  gradually  into 
harmony  with  the  divine  will ;  and  this  is  the  gracious  gift  of  sanc- 
tificatioti. 

But  this  does  not  imply  that  a  man  who  dies  immediately  after 
conversion  enters  heaven  without  sanctification.  This  would  be 
a  very  comfortless  doctrine,  and  would  unintentionally  encourage 
Antinomianism.  God's  child  entering  heaven  is  completely  sanc- 
tified ;  not  in  this  life,  but  after  it. 

According  to  Scripture  there  is  in  heaven  a  difference  between 
the  spirits  of  the  redeemed;  they  do  not  resemble  each  other  as  do 
two  drops  of  water.  In  the  parable  of  the  talents  Christ  teaches 
clearly  that  in  heaven  there  is  a  difference  in  the  distribution  of ' 
talents.  He  who  denies  this  robs  himself  of  the  positive  promise 
that  "  the  Father  who  seeth  in  secret  shall  reward  openly."  The 
29 


4SO  SANCTIFICATION 

heavenly  state  which  we  preach  is  not  based  upon  the  principles  of 
the  French  Revolution ;  on  the  contrary,  in  the  assembly  of  just 
men  made  perfect  we  shall  never  ascend  to  the  rank  of  apostle  or 
prophet,  probably  not  even  to  that  of  martyr.  Nevertheless  there 
is  in  heaven  no  saint  whose  sanctification  is  incomplete.  In  this 
respect  all  are  alike. 

But  there  will  be  room  for  development.  The  complete  sanc- 
tification of  my  personality,  body  and  soul,  does  not  imply  that  my 
holy  disposition  is  now  in  actual  contact  with  all  the  fulness  of  the 
divine  holiness.  On  the  contrary,  as  I  ascend  from  glory  to  glory, 
I  shall  find  in  the  infinite  depths  of  the  divine  Being  the  eternal 
object  of  richest  delight  in  ever-increasing  measure.  In  this  re- 
spect the  redeemed  in  heaven  are  like  Adam  and  Eve  in  Paradise, 
who,  tho  perfectly  holy,  were  destined  to  enter  more  fully  into  the 
life  of  the  divine  love  by  endless  development. 

It  should  therefore  be  thoroughly  understood  that  at  the  mo- 
ment of  their  entering  heaven  the  sanctification  of  the  redeemed 
lacks  notJmig.  Nevertheless  their  sanctification  will  receive  fullest 
completion  when,  risen  from  the  grave,  in  the  glory  of  the  resur- 
rection-body, they  enter  the  Kingdom  of  Glory  after  the  day  of 
judgment.  Until  that  hour  they  are  in  a  state  of  separation  from 
the  body,  resting  in  peace,  awaiting  the  coming  of  the  Lord. 

Since  sanctification  includes  body  and  soul,  exhaustive  treat- 
ment requires  that  we  call  attention  to  this  point.  Not  as  tho  this 
intermediate  state  were  sinful,  a  sort  of  purgatory;  for  the  Scrip- 
ture teaches  clearly  that  in  death  we  are  seJ>aratedirom  the  body. 
The  fact  that  the  body  remains  impure  until  the  day  of  glorification 
does  not  affect  the  holy  state  of  the  departed  saint.  Being  freed 
from  the  body,  he  is  no  more  affected  by  it.  And  when,  in  the  not- 
able day  of  the  Lord,  the  body  shall  be  restored  to  him,  it  shall  be 
perfectly  holy,  pure,  and  glorified. 

That  which  belongs  to  Jesus  enters  heaven  perfectly  holy.  The 
slightest  lack  would  indicate  something  internally  sinful ;  would 
annihilate  the  glorious  confession  that  death  is  a  dying  to  all  sin, 
as  well  as  the  positive  declaration  of  Scripture,  that  nothing  that 
defiles  shall  enter  the  gates  of  the  city.  Hence  it  is  the  unalterable 
rule  of  sanctification  that  every  redeemed  soul  entering  heaven  is 
perfectly  sanctified. 

This  applies  to  the  infant  who  being  regenerated  in  the  cradle  is 
carried  thence  to  the  grave,  in  whom,  therefore,  conscious  exercise 


HOLY  RAIMENT  OF  ONE'S  OWN  WEAVING     451 

of  holiness  is  out  of  the  question;  and  to  every  converted  person 
who  dies  suddenly;  and  to  the  man  who.  hardened  all  his  life,  in 
his  dying  hour  repents  before  God,  and  departs  one  of  the  re- 
deemed of  the  Lord. 

The  supporters  of  the  ordinary  Arminian  doctrine  consider  this 
representation  impossible.  They  believe  that  sanctification  is  an 
effect  of  the  saint's  own  exertion,  exercise,  and  conflict.  It  is  like 
a  beautiful  garment  of  fine  linen,  very  desirable,  but  it  must  be  of 
one's  own  weaving.  This  labor  is  begun  immediately  after  the 
saint's  conversion.  The  loom  is  set  up,  and  he  begins  to  weave. 
He  continues  his  spiritual  labor  with  but  few  interruptions.  The 
piece  of  linen  gradually  increases  under  his  hand,  and  assumes 
form  and  shape.  If  not  cut  down  in  early  life,  he  expects  to  finish 
it  even  before  the  hour  of  his  departure. 

The  pulpit  must  oppose  this  theory,  which  comes,  not  from 
Arminius's  books,  but  from  man's  wicked  heart.  For  it  is  not  only 
very  comfortless,  but  also  wicked. 

It  is  comfortless  :  for,  if  true,  then  all  our  precious  little  ones 
who  died  in  the  cradle  are  lost,  for  they  could  not  put  one  stitch  in 
this  raiment  of  their  glory;  comfortless:  for  if  the  saint  should 
happen  to  be  behindhand  with  his  weaving,  or  be  taken  away  in 
the  midst  of  his  days  before  he  could  half  finish  it,  he  would  surely 
be  lost.  Nor  is  it  less  comfortless  for  him  whose  death-bed  conver- 
sion is  utterly  useless,  for  it  came  too  late  for  the  weaving  of  this 
garment  of  sanctification. 

And  it  is  also  wicked:  for  then  Christ  is  no  sufficient  Savior. 
He  may  effect  our  justification  and  open  the  gates  of  Paradise,  but 
the  weaving  of  our  own  wedding-garments  He  lays  upon  us,  with- 
out insuring  us  sufficeint  time  to  finish  them.  Yea,  wicked  indeed 
is  it;  for  this  makes  the  weaving  of  the  fine  linen  our  work,  sancti- 
fication man's  achievement,  and  God  is  no  longer  the  only  Author 
of  our  salvation.  Then  it  is  no  grace,  and  man's  own  work  is 
again  on  its  feet. 

In  thus  subverting  the  very  foundation  of  holy  things,  thought- 
less Ethical  theologians  ought  to  consider  the  destruction  they 
bring  upon  Christ's  Church.  Our  fathers  never  believed  this  doc- 
trine, and  always  opposed  it.  "  There  is  no  Gospel  in  it,"  they  said. 
It  is  the  concision  of  the  Covenant  of  Grace;  laying  upon  God's 
saints  the  fear  and  distress  of  the  Covenant  of  Works. 


VI. 
Christ  Our  Sanctification. 

"  Christ  Jesus  who  of  God  is  made  unto 
us  .  .  .  sanctification." — i  Cor. 1.30. 

The  redeemed  soul  possesses  a//  things  in  Christ.  He  is  a  com- 
plete Savior.  He  lacks  nothing.  Having  Him  we  are  saved  to  the 
uttermost ;  without  Him  we  are  utterly  lost  and  undone. 

We  must  earnestly  maintain  this  point,  especially  with  reference 
to  sanctification ;  and  repeat  with  increasing  clearness  that  Christ 
is  given  us  of  God  not  only  for  wisdom  and  righteousness,  but  also 
for  sanctification. 

It  reads  distinctly  that  Christ  is  our  righteous«/f^j  and  sanctifi^a- 
tion.  This  translation  is  perfectly  correct.  The  Greek  does  not 
read,  "dikaiosis,"  which  is  justification,  but  "  dikaiosiine,"  which 
never  refers  to  the  act  of  making  righteous,  but  to  the  condition  of 
being  righteous,  therefore  r\ght&o\xsness.  So  it  does  not  read, 
"  hdgios"  or  "  hagiosune,"  which  might  refer  to  holiness,  but  it  reads 
distinctly,  "  hagiosmos"  which  points  to  the  act  of  making  holy. 

What  the  apostle  distinguished  so  clearly  should  not  be  con- 
founded. 

St.  Paul  and  the  Church  of  Corinth  are  believers.  They  are 
justified  in  Christ  already,  once  for  all ;  for  Christ  was  made  right- 
eousness unto  them.  But  this  is  not  the  case  with  sanctification. 
"  Even  the  holiest  men  have  only  small  beginnings  of  this  obedi- 
ence, which  constrain  them  to  live  not  only  according  to  some,  but 
according  to  all  the  commandments  of  God  "  (Heidelberg  Catechism, 
q.  114).  But  the  work  is  only  just  begun.  Compared  to  former 
times,  there  is  a  holier  love  and  spirit  in  them,  but  they  are  by  no 
means  wholly  sanctified.  They  are  under  the  treatment  of  the  Spirit, 
their  Sanctifier.  They  become  more  and  more  conformable  to  the 
image  of  God  (q.  15).  Hence  there  are  degrees  of  progress  in 
holiness.  In  those  but  recently  converted,  sanctification  has  pro- 
gressed but  little ;  in  others  it  has  made  glorious  progress.  So  there 
are  in  the  Church  holy,  holier,  and  holiest  persons  (q.  ii4)- 


CHRIST   OUR    SANCTIFICATION  453 

Since  the  justification  of  the  ungodly  is  at  once  finished,  and 
the  sanctification  of  the  regenerate  proceeds  but  slowly  and  grad- 
ually, St.  Paul  writes  to  the  Corinthians  with  perfect  precision 
that  Christ  is  to  him  and  them  no  more  vighteons-makin^',  but  right- 
eovisness;  on  the  contrary,  He  had  not  yet  become  to  them 
holiness,  but  only  hoXy-making. 

This  being  well  understood,  it  is  impossible  to  be  mistaken.  If 
the  apostle  had  intended  to  enumerate  in  the  abstract  all  that  a  lost 
sinner  possesses  in  Christ,  he  would  have  said :  "  ^N\sQ->nakirig,  right- 
eons-f/iah'/!g,  and  holy-making" ;  for  a  lost  sinner  walks  still  in  his 
foolishness,  is  not  yet  made  righteous,  etc.  But  he  describes  his 
own  experience,  saying,  that  like  a  star  the  wisdom  of  God  had  arisen 
in  his  dark  soul ;  that  for  Christ's  sake  he  has  obtained  pardon  and 
satisfaction,  wherefore  he  stands  perfectly  righteous  before  God; 
and  that  now  he  is  being  made  holy  and  being  redeemed.  He  is  not 
yet  redeemed  entirely ;  the  Greek  "  apoliitrosis  "  denotes  also  here 
a  continued  action  of  being  made  free  from  inward  and  outward 
misery. 

The  Heidelberg  Catechism  (q.  60)  describes  the  righteous 
standing  of  the  soul  before  God  in  the  following  striking  manner : 

"Q.  How  art  thou  righteous  before  God? 

"A.  Only  by  a  true  faith  in  Jesus  Christ:  so  that,  tho  my  conscience 
accuse  me  that  I  have  grossly  transgressed  all  the  commands  of  God,  and 
kept  none  of  them,  and  am  still  inclined  to  all  evil ;  notwithstanding,  God, 
without  any  merit  of  mine,  but  only  of  mere  grace,  grants  and  imputes 
to  me  the  perfect  satisfaction,  righteousness,  and  holiness  of  Christ ;  even 
so  as  if  I  never  had  had,  nor  committed  any  sin :  yes,  as  if  I  had  fully 
accomplished  all  that  obedience  which  Christ  hath  accomplished  for  me ; 
inasmuch  as  I  embrace  such  benefit  with  a  believing  heart." 

The  fact  that  this  answer  makes  righteousness  to  include  holi- 
ness has  led  less  thoughtful  men  to  infer  that  sanctification  and 
justification  are  the  same  thing.  Discussed  at  the  Synod  of  Dort, 
this  question  was  settled  by  inserting  into  article  22  of  the  Con- 
fession the  following  clause :  "  Jesus  Christ  imputing  to  us  all  His 
merits,  and  so  many  holy  works,  which  He  has  done  for  us  and  in 
our  stead,  is  our  Righteousness." 

What  does  justification  then  include?  Not  the  sanctification  of 
our  persons,  but  the  sum-total  of  the  holy  works  which  we  owe  God 
according  to  the  law.     Question  60  calls  this  "  our  holiness." 

The  difference  between  the  two  is  clearly  seen  in  Adam  and  Eve 


454  SANCTIFICATION 

in  Paradise.  They  were  creaX^di  personally  holy;  there  was  nothing 
unholy  about  them.  But  they  had  not  yet  fulfilled  the  law.  They 
did  not  possess  holy  works.  They  had  not  acquired  a  treasure  of 
holiness.  Personally,  one  can  be  holy  without  having  a  single  grain 
of  accomplished  or  acquired  holiness;  and,  on  the  other  hand,  one 
may  have  a  perfectly  fulfilled  law  without  having  the  slightest 
function  of  personal  holiness.  Christ  in  the  manger  was  perfectly 
holy,  but  He  had  not  yet  fulfilled  the  law,  hence  He  had  not  an  ac- 
quired holiness  to  present  to  us  in  our  place.  But  in  the  hour  of 
his  justification  the  child  of  God  receives  (i)  the  complete  remission 
of  his  punishment  on  the  ground  of  Christ's  «/t?«^';«(?«/y  (2)  the  com- 
plete remission  of  his  indebtedness  on  the  ground  of  Christ's  satis- 
faction. And  this  satisfaction  is  but  a  perfect  fulfilment  of  the 
law ;  a  complete  presentation  of  all  good  works ;  hence  a  perfect 
manifestation  of  holiness.  Between  questions  114  and  115  there  is, 
therefore,  not  the  slightest  conflict. 

Sanctifira//(?«  and  holiness  are  two  different  things.  Holiness,  in 
the  60th  question,  has  reference,  not  to  personal  dispositions  and 
desires,  but  to  the  sum-total  of  all  the  holy  works  required  by  the  law. 
Sanctification,  on  the  contrary,  refers  not  to  any  work  of  the  law, 
but  exclusively  to  the  work  of  creating  holy  dispositions  in  the  heart. 

If  one  asks.  Is  Christ  your  holiness  as  much  as  He  is  your 
righteousness  and  in  the  same  sense?  we  answer:  Yes,  indeed, 
bless  the  Lord;  He  is  my  complete  holiness  before  God,  just  as 
much  as  my  perfect  righteousness.  The  one  is  just  as  absolute  and 
certain  as  the  other.  The  performance  of  all  the  holy  works  re- 
quired by  the  law  of  every  man,  according  to  the  Covenant  of 
Works,  is  a  vicarious  act  of  Christ  in  the  fullest  sense  of  the  word. 
Wherefore  we  confess  that  the  holy  works  which  Christ  has  done 
for  us  are  just  as  positively  an  imptcted  holiness,  as  we  stand  right 
before  God  by  an  imputed  righteousness.  Nothing  can  be  added  to 
it.     It  is  whole,  perfect,  and  complete  in  every  respect. 

And  that  which  is  done  for  us  in  our  stead  is  not  again  required 
of  us.  This  would  be  morally  absurd.  According  to  the  Covenant 
of  Works,  neither  the  law  nor  the  lawgiver  has  anything  more  to 
demand  of  us.  It  is  a  finished  work.  The  penalty  is  suffered,  and 
the  holiness  required  by  the  law  is  presented.  We  are  perfectly 
righteous  before  God  and  our  own  consciousness,  inasmuch  as  we 
receive  this  unspeakable  benefit  with  a  believing  heart. 


CHRIST   OUR    SANCTIFICATION  455 

But  all  that  has  nothing  to  do  with  our  sanctification.  In  addi- 
tion to  the  imputed  righteousness  and  holy  works,  our  sanctification 
comes  next  in  order. 

From  sin  proceed  guilt,  penalty,  and  stain.  From  these  three 
we  must  be  delivered.  From  the  penalty  by  Christ's  atonement ; 
from  guilt  by  His  satisfaction  ;  and  from  the  stain  by  sanctification. 
After  God  has  redeemed  us  from  the  everlasting  doom,  we  are  still 
unholy,  downtrodden  in  our  unclean  blood.  Adam's  inherent,  holy 
disposition  and  desire  are  not  yet  restored  to  us.  On  the  contrary, 
the  stain  of  sin  is  there  still.  We  delight  in  the  law  of  God  after 
the  inward  man,  but  we  also  find  sin  present  always  and  everywhere 
in  the  sin-stain  of  body  and  soul.  And  God  wills  that  this  shall  not 
continue.  For  the  stain  of  sin  He  will  substitute  a  holy  disposition. 
He  resolves  to  reform  us  inwardly,  to  renew  us  after  the  image  of 
His  dear  Son,  i.e.,  to  sanctify  us. 

It  is  only  now  that  He  begins  to  make  us  personally  holy.  As  His 
children,  we  are  dear  to  Him  as  the  apple  of  His  eye;  He  has  en- 
graven our  names  in  the  palms  of  His  hands.  We  neglect  things  in- 
different, but  we  polish  the  precious  jewel.  An  old  garment  is  cast 
aside,  but  we  remove  the  stain  from  the  costly  silken  gown.  The 
housewife  adorns  the  beloved  homestead,  and  the  gardener  pulls 
the  weeds  from  his  garden-beds.  In  like  manner,  compelled  by  His 
love,  God  wills  that  His  child,  body  and  soul,  be  made  bright  until 
sin's  stain  be  wholly  removed. 

This  is  the  work  of  sanctification,  aiming  exclusively  at  our  per- 
sonal sanctification,  to  restore  unto  us  the  holiness  of  Adam  before 
he  had  performed  any  holy  work. 

In  Adam,  personal  holiness  came  first,  then  holiness  consisting 
in  the  fulfilment  of  the  law;  but  to  God's  child,  the  latter,  imputed 
to  him  for  Christ's  sake,  is  imparted  first,  and  his  personal  holiness 
follows.  As  Adam  was  created  holy,  so  the  regenerated  is  made 
holy. 

The  personal  sanctification  of  the  regenerated  and  converted 
sinner  begins  after  the  quickening  of  faith ;  continues  with  more  or 
less  interruption  all  the  days  of  his  life ;  is  finished,  so  far  as  the  soul 
is  concerned,  in  death,  and,  regarding  the  body,  at  the  coming  of 
the  Lord.  And  since  this  is  wrought  by  Christ,  through  the  Holy 
Spirit,  the  Scripture  confesses  that  Christ  is  not  only  our  Right- 
eousness, but  also  our  Sanctification. 


VII. 
Application  of  Sanctification. 

'•  Whom  He  did  foreknow,  He  also  did 
predestinate  to  be  conformed  to  the 
image  of  His  Son,  that  He  might  be 
the  first-born  among  many  breth- 
ren."— Rom.  viii.  29. 

At  His  own  time,  and  with  irresistible  grace,  God  translates  His 
elect  from  death  unto  life.  He  gives  them  faith  and  the  conscious- 
ness of  being  justified  in  Christ ;  and  by  conversion  He  puts  their 
feet  in  the  way  of  life.  Thus  they  are  free  from  guilt.  There  is 
for  them  no  condemnation.  Neither  hell  nor  devil  can  prevail 
against  them.  Hence  the  apostle's  shout  of  victory:  "Who  shall 
lay  anything  to  the  charge  of  God's  elect?  It  is  God  that  justifieth. 
Who  is  he  that  condemneth?  It  is  Christ  that  died,  yea,  rather  that 
is  risen  again,  who  is  even  at  the  right  hand  of  God,  who  also  ma- 
keth  intercession  for  us." 

God's  child  has  formal  proof  of  his  justification  not  only  in  the 
Word,  but  also  in  Christ  Himself,  who  continually  presents  His 
sacrifice  before  the  Throne.  Whether  he  has  conscious  enjoyment 
of  this  is  immaterial.  In  his  sleep,  in  fever's  delirium,  bereft  of 
reason  by  physical  causes,  he  continues  God's  child.  Independent 
of  sensations,  experiences,  and  frames  of  mind,  yea,  tho  he  has 
never  wept  a  tear  of  repentance,  he  possesses  his  treasure  under  all 
circumstances.  Idiots  even  may  possess  it.  Why  should  God  have 
no  children  among  them?  Of  course,  under  normal  conditions  con- 
scious faith  is  the  rule ;  but  salvation  does  not  depend  upon  the 
soul's  actual  experience.  When  you  walk  in  the  sun  your  shadow 
is  visible ;  but  your  existence  does  not  depend  upon  your  shadow. 

It  should  be  emphasized  that  sanctification  does  not  implj'  hu- 
man efforts  and  exertions  to  supplement  Christ's  work :  but  it  is 
the  additional  grace  of  creating  in  the  saint  supernatural ly  a  holy 
disposition. 


APPLICATION    OF    SANCTIFICATION         457 

Sin  imparts  pollution,  i.e.,  there  can  be  no  sin  without  begetting 
sin.  Sin  generates  sin,  imparts  sin,  is  always  the  mother  of  sin. 
If  this  sin-begetting  process  were  not  stopped  in  our  hearts,  sin's 
chain  would  remain  unbroken,  link  upon  link,  and  only  sin  would 
be  the  result. 

But  this  is  not  the  divine  purpose.  God  wills  that  men  should 
see  our  good  works  and  glorify  the  Father  which  is  in  heaven. 
Therefore  God  has  prepared  good  works  that  we  should  walk  in 
them.  But  if  the  stain  of  sin  were  to  work  in  us  without  any  inter- 
ruption, we  could  not  walk  in  them.  Not  one  of  us  could  ever  do  a 
single  good  work.  Light  would  never  shine  in  the  children  of  light, 
and  there  would  be  no  occasion  to  glorify  the  Father  in  heaven. 
Good  works  wrought  in  us  by  the  Holy  Spirit  indepe7idently  of  us 
can  not  offer  such  occasion.  His  works  are  siiw a.ys  holy  j  there  is 
nothing  surprising  in  that.  But  when  He  causes  holy  works  to 
proceed  from  us  in  such  a  way  that  they  are  truly  our  own,  then 
there  is  occasion  for  praise — Matt.  v.  16.  Then  men  will  ask  in 
surprise.  Who  wrought  this  in  them?  and  looking  up  will  glorify 
the  Father.  And  then  the  fearful  continuity  of  sin  called  "  stain  " 
is  broken;  then  the  law  that  sin  must  beget  sin,  i.e.,  cultivate  the 
sinful  disposition,  is  replaced  by  another  law  which  gradually  in- 
troduces the  holy  disposition. 

This  holy  disposition  can  not  spring  from  man,  not  even  from 
regeneration.  A  starving  child  can  not  grow,  neither  can  the  child 
of  God  proceed  to  sanctification  if  left  to  himself.  Altho  sanctifi- 
cation  is  organically  connected  with  the  implanted  life,  yet  it  does 
not  germinate  without  the  constant  showers  of  grace.  Wherefore 
it  is  the  free  gift  of  the  Father  of  Lights. 

The  indwelling  Spirit  is  the  actual  Worker.  He  performs  it  in 
all  the  saints,  not  partly,  but  wholly,  both  in  life  and  in  death,  or  in 
the  hour  of  death  alone.  The  latter  applies  to  elect  children,  to 
idiots  and  insane  persons,  and  to  persons  converted  on  their  death- 
bed. In  all  others  He  performs  it  during  their  lifetime  and  in  the 
hour  of  their  departure. 

But  there  is  a  difference  in  different  persons.  In  some  the  Holy 
Spirit  begins  sanctification  in  their  childhood;  in  others  at  matur- 
ity. In  some  it  proceeds  almost  without  any  interruption;  in 
others  it  is  hindered  by  conflict  or  apostasy.  But  in  all  He  acts 
according  to  His  pleasure.     Sanctification  is  an  artistic  embroidery 


458  SANCTIFICATION 

wrought  in  the  soul,  and  He  insures  that  it  shall  be  finished  at  the 
moment  appointed  for  our  entrance  into  the  New  Jerusalem ;  but 
the  manner  and  measure  of  progress  depend  solely  upon  His  pleas- 
ure and  purpose. 

Jiirst,  sanctification  is  closely  related  to  Christ,  and  is  part  of  the 
Covenant  grace  which  He  insures  to  us  as  our  Surety.  It  is  not 
merely  His  work,  but  a  grace  inherent  in  His  Person,  and  so  identi- 
fied with  Him  that  the  apostle  exclaims :  "  Who  of  God  is  made  unto 
us  wisdom,  righteousness,  and  sanctification?"  It  is  related  to  the 
unio  mystica :  He  vitally  in  us,  and  we  vitally  in  Him ;  He  the 
Vine,  and  we  the  branches:  "  It  is  not  I  that  live,  but  Christ  liveth 
in  me";  He  the  Head,  and  we  the  members.  All  these  indicate 
the  vital  union  between  the  believer  and  the  Mediator.  The  un- 
born child  may  be  said  to  breathe  through  the  mother's  breath,  and 
1  the  mother  to  breathe  in  the  child.  The  same  is  true  here,  altho 
the  comparison  illustrates,  but  does  not  exhaust  the  matter. 

Hence  God's  child  can  never  be  but  in  Christ,  Not  that  he  is 
always  conscious  of  it.  He  often  feels  as  tho  Christ  were  far  from 
him,  and,  deceived  by  this,  he  often  strays  so  far  that  the  bond  of 
union  seems  to  be  utterly  dissolved.  This  is  really  not  so,  for 
Christ  never  loses  His  hold;  but  to  him  it  seems  so.  And  this  is 
the  cause  of  the  difficulty.  In  this  condition  his  sinful  nature  alone 
is  left  him ;  all  his  treasure  of  grace  is  left  with  Jesus.  For  this 
reason  the  liturgy  says :  "  Outside  of  Christ  we  lie  in  the  midst  of 
death."  When  with  Dinah  we  leave  the  patriarchal  tent  to  take  the 
road  to  Shechem,  we  do  so  at  our  own  risk  and  charges,  having  but 
Adam's  inheritance,  viz.,  a  dead  soul  and  a  corrupt  nature.  Then 
to  imagine  that  we  have  anything  in  ourselves  acceptable  to  God  is 
tantamount  to  a  denial  of  Immanuel.  With  Kohlbrugge  we  say : 
"  Considered  outside  of  Christ,  the  converted  and  the  unconverted 
are  exactly  alike." 

But,  altho  we  forsake  Him,  He  never  forsakes  us;  there  is  be- 
tween the  converted  in  his  deepest  fall  and  the  unconverted  this 
immeasurable  difference,  that  the  soul  of  the  former  is  inseparably 
bound  to  Jesus  and  the  soul  of  the  latter  is  not. 

/^  Second,  the  sanctification  of  the  saint  is  unthinkable  without 
Christ,  because  the  implanting  of  the  holy  disposition  by  the  Divine 
Spirit  is :  "  That  we  become  more  and  more  conformable  to  the 


APPLICATION    OF    SANCTIFICATION         459 

image  of  God  until  we  arrive  at  the  perfection  proposed  to  us  in  a 
life  to  come"  (Heidelberg  Catechism,  q.  115).  And  is  this  not 
Christ's  image? 

To  be  sanctified,  then,  means  to  have  Christ  obtain  stature  in  us. 
It  is  not  a  few  confused  signs  of  holiness,  but  an  organic  whole  of 
pure  desire  and  inclination  stamped  upon  the  soul,  embracing  all 
the  powers  of  the  human  spirit  and  disposition.  Hence  its  prog- 
ress can  not  be  measured  or  numbered,  ten  degrees  now  and 
fifteen  next  year.  It  is  the  reflection  of  Christ's  form  upon  the 
mirror-surface  of  the  soul;  first  in  dim  outlines,  gradually  more 
distinct,  until  the  experienced  eye  recognizes  in  it  the  form  of 
Jesus.  But  even  in  the  most  advanced  it  is  never  more  than  a 
daguerreotype  J  ImmanueV s  per/ect  image  will  be  revealed  in  us  only 
in  and  through  death. 

The  holy  disposition  is  a  "perfect  man,"  i.e.,  a  form  embracing 
the  saint's  whole  personality  j  an  expression  of  Christ's  complete 
image,  and  therefore  covering  our  entire  human  being. 

How  foolish,  then,  to  speak  of  sanctification  as  a  result  of  human 
effort.  When  the  person  disappears,  does  not  his  shadow  go  with 
him?  How,  then,  could  Christ's  image,  form,  or  shadow  remain  in 
us  when  in  our  wanderings  the  soul  is  separated  from  Him?  The 
brightness  disappears  with  the  light.  A  shadow  can  not  be  re- 
tained. This  is  why  Immanuel  is  our  sanctification  in  the  fullest 
sense  of  the  word.  His  form  reflecting  itself  in  the  soul  and  the  soul 
retaining  that  reflection  is  the  whole  work  of  sanctification. 

Finally,  to  the  question.  How  can  sanctification  implant  a  holy 
disposition,  if  it  depends  upon  the  reflection  of  Jesus's  form  in  the 
soul,  since  a  denial  or  temporal  apostasy  separates  us  from  Him? 
we  answer:  Can  an  inherent  disposition  not  exist  and  continue 
without  being  exercised?  One  may  have  acquired  the  disposition 
(habit)  of  speaking  fluent  English,  but  not  speak  it  for  a  whole 
year.  So  may  the  disposition  or  habit  of  holy  desire  cleave  to  the 
soul,  even  tho  the  stream  of  unholiness  cover  it  for  a  season.  And 
the  soul  is  fully  aware  of  this  by  the  inward  struggle  of  the  con- 
science. If  Jesus  could  lose  His  hold  upon  us,  yea,  then  the  holy 
disposition  could  not  remain.  But,  since  amid  the  deepest  fall, 
the  soul  remains  unconsciously  in  His  hand,  the  objection  has  no 
weight. 


/ 


VIII. 
Sanctification  in  Fellowship  with  Immanuel. 

"  But  now  have  ye  your  fruit  unto  sanc- 
tification, and  the  end  everlasting 
life." — Rom.  vi.  22. 

The  third  reason  why  our  sanctification  is  in  Christ  is :  that  He 
has  obtained  it,  that  it  fiows /rom  Him,  and  that  He  guarantees  it. 

Having  your  mind  thoroughly  divested  from  the  false  idea  that 
sanctification  is  your  own  embroidery,  holding  fast  the  clear  doc- 
trine that  it  is  a  gift  of  grace,  this  third  reason  will  appeal  to  you. 
If  sanctification  is  a  gift,  a  favor,  the  question  arises:  What  for? 
Is  it  a  reward  for  the  labor  of  your  soul?  Fruit  of  your  prayer? 
Encouragement  on  the  way?  Is  it  on  account  of  your  loveliness, 
piety,  goodness?  Is  it  for  any  thing /«  jy^/^  /  For  there  must  be  a 
motive.  That  God  should  bestow  the  precious  and  enduring  gift  of 
sanctification  on  persons  who  with  both  hands  oppose  it,  and  with 
rough  fingers  mar  its  beauty,  is  inconceivable.  What  was  it,  then, 
that  moved  the  Lord  God  to  favor  you?  You  say :  "  His  unfathom- 
able pleasure,  which  is  the  deepest  ground  of  all  our  salvation." 
Very  well;  but  the  divine  counsel  does  not  work  as  by  magic.  All 
that  proceeds  from  that  counsel  runs  its  course,  and  shows  its  links 
that  give  it  consistency. 

Hence  the  question  must  be  asked :  "  Who  is  it  that  obtained  for 
you  the  gracious  gift  of  sanctification?"  And  the  answer  is:  "  Our 
Redeemer;  sanctification  is  the  fruit  of  the  Cross." 

There  is  no  division  of  labor  in  the  redemptive  work.  Christ 
did  not  obtain  on  the  cross  our  righteousness  only,  leaving  it  for  us 
by  conflict  and  self-denial  to  obtain  our  sanctification ;  but  there  is 
One  who  labors,  the  others  enter  into  His  rest ;  He  has  trodden  the 
wine-press  alone,  and  of  the  people  there  was  none  with  Him. 

God  has  ordered  our  sanctification  to  flow  from  Christ  directly. 
The  Holy  Spirit  is  the  Worker,  yet  whatever  He  imparts  to  us  He 


SANCTIFICATION    WITH    IMMANUEL         461 

takes  from  Christ.  "  He  shall  receive  of  Mine ;  and  He  shall  glorify 
Me."    This  is  no  empty  phrase,  but  sober  reality. 

What  a  redeemed  soul  needs  is  a  human  holiness.  A  man  must 
be  sanctified,  not  an  angel.  The  latter  can  not  be  sanctified.  Once 
fallen,  he  is  lost  forever.  Created  and  fallen  like  Adam,  he  can  not 
be  restored  like  Adam.  Knowing  nothing  of  redemption,  angels 
desire  to  look  into  it.  Hence  when,  despite  sin,  God  brings  an  in- 
numerable company  of  men  and  angels  to  eternal  life,  He  effects 
this  by  sanctifying  the  elect  among  unholy  men ;  while  the  elect 
angels  need  no  sanctification,  for  they  have  never  become  unholy. 
Sanctification  refers,  therefore,  exclusively  to  7nen  ;  imparts  a  holi- 
ness made  possible  and  ordained  only  for  men ;  creates  a  disposition 
bearing  a  human  form  and  character,  calculated  for  the  peculiar 
needs  of  the  human  heart. 

The  Holy  Spirit  finds  this  holy  disposition  in  its  required  form, 
not  in  the  Father,  nor  in  Himself,  but  in  Immanuel,  who  as  the  Son 
of  God  and  the  Son  of  man  possesses  holiness  in  that  peculiar  human 
form. 

Christ  also  guarantees  to  us  this  gracious  gift.  Justification  being 
at  once  an  accomplished  fact  does  not  require  this,  but  sanctification 
is  gradual. 

The  lack  of  such  guaranty  would  fill  us  with  doubt  and  uncer- 
tainty concerning  our  own  sanctification,  seeing  that  its  beginning 
is  small  and  progress  slow ;  and  concerning  that  of  deceased  infants 
and  persons  converted  late  in  life.  Such  doubts  would  cause  us 
fear  and  rob  us  of  the  comfort  of  the  finished  work. 

Christ  says :  "  Come  unto  Me,  all  ye  that  labor  and  are  heavy- 
laden,  and  I  will  give  you  rest";  yet  experience  teaches  that  to 
many  believers  the  inherent  unholiness  causes  constant  unrest. 
They  know  that  in  Christ  they  are  righteous,  yet  they  are  not  com- 
forted; for  God  says  in  His  Word:  "  Be  ye  holy  as  I  am  holy."  If 
it  only  read,  "  Act  holily,"  Christ's  merits  might  suffice ;  but  it  reads, 
"Be  holy,"  and  that  means  inherent,  holy  dispositions.  Or  if  it 
read,  "  Become  holy,"  their  gradual  approach  to  the  ideal  would  in- 
spire them  with  hope.  But  it  reads  inexorably,  "  Be  holy,"  and 
that  causes  their  wounded  souls  to  fear. 

Not  as  tho  every  believer  is  troubled  on  this  account.  Alas! 
many  scarcely  ever,  and  the  large  majority  never,  give  the  matter 
any  thought.     So  long  as  they  have  reconciliation  and  satisfaction. 


462  SANCTIFICATION 

including  finished  good  works,  preached  to  them,  they  are  at  rest. 
Their  fleshly  nature  is  quite  well  satisfied  with  this.  But  there  are 
others,  more  thoughtful  and  of  tenderer  conscience,  who  do  not  ac- 
cept the  "  wide  gate  and  the  broad  way  "  thus  opened  to  their  souls, 
but  who  believe  the  word :  "  Strait  is  the  gate  and  narrow  the  way." 
To  them  it  reads,  "  Be  holy";  and  there  can  be  no  rest  or  comfort 
for  the  conscience  until  they  are  reconciled  with  that  word. 

Hence  we  say  that  it  is  not  enough  that  Christ  has  obtained 
sanctification,  that  the  Holy  Spirit  imparts  it,  but  also  that  Christ 
guarantees  it  to  us,  not  once,  but  forever ;  so  that  whenever  we  ap- 
pear before  the  Holy  One  we  may  be  actually  holy  in  Christ. 

And  this  is  the  blessed  comfort  of  the  Word,  that  Christ  Himself 
is  our  sanctification.  As  in  fallen  Adam  his  descendants  have  the 
fearful  certainty  that  their  nature  is  wholly  unclean,  so  in  the  risen 
Christ,  His  redeemed  have  the  glorious  guaranty  that  in  Him  they 
shall  be  completely  holy. 

This  is  the  mystery  of  the  Vine  and  the  branches,  and  of  the 
profound  word :  "  Now  are  ye  clean  through  the  word  which  I  have 
spoken  unto  you."  As  our  Surety  He  assures  us  hereby :  ( i )  that  the 
holy  disposition  once  created  in  us,  altho  temporarily  overwhelmed 
by  sin.  can  never  be  lost;  (2)  that  Christ's  form,  of  which  there 
is  but  a  small  beginning  in  us,  shall  attain  full  perfection  before 
we  enter  the  New  Jerusalem ;  (3)  that  as  our  Surety  He  appears 
before  the  Father  in  our  behalf,  having  deposited  in  the  treasury 
of  His  merits  all  that  we  still  lack,  in  our  name.  In  this  knowl- 
edge the  troubled  soul  finds  rest. 

Let  us  be  careful  that  the  precious  vessel  in  which  God  presents 
to  us  this  grace  remains  intact,  for  the  sinner  can  suffice  with  nothing 
less. 

But  we  should  also  be  careful  to  avoid  the  other  extreme,  which, 
under  the  plea  that  Christ  is  our  sanctification,  denies  the  work  of 
the  Holy  Spirit  in  the  soul.  The  supporters  of  this  view  concede 
that  Christ  is  our  sanctification,  that  the  Holy  Spirit  works  in  us, 
and  that  good  works  are  the  result,  but  in  such  a  way  that  our  own 
person  as  such  remains  just  as  wicked  and  unprofitable  as  hereto- 
f(yre.  To  be  regenerate  or  not,  believing  or  unbelieving,  is  all  the 
same.     The  only  difference  between  the  two  is,  that  independently 


SANCTIFICATION    WITH    IMMANUEL         463 

of  our  own  person,  and  against  our  will,  the  Holy  Spirit  makes  us 
walk  unconsciously  in  the  way  of  life. 

This  pernicious  teaching  opposes  Rom.  vii.  and  the  Confession 
of  the  Reformed  churches.  The  apostle  does  not  say  that  his  de- 
sires and  inclinations  are  still  wicked,  and  that  the  Holy  Spirit  per- 
forms good  works  independently  of  him  and  yet  by  him ;  but  he 
grieves  that,  while  his  desire  is  in  sympathy  with  the  divine  will  and 
wills  the  good,  evil  is  still  present.  In  similar  sense  the  Catechism 
teaches  that  man  is  inclined  to  all  evil  so  long  as  he  is  not  born 
again,  but  no  longer.  For  the  quickening  of  the  new  man  consists 
in  a  "sincere  joy  of  heart  in  God,  through  Christ,  and  with  love  and 
delight  to  live  according  to  the  will  of  God"  (q.  90). 

And  the  soul  of  the  unconverted  is  not  so  disposed.  Hence  the 
difference  between  the  two  is  so  great  that  the  gulf  of  heaven  and 
hell  yawns  between  them. 

It  may  therefore  be  profitable  to  our  readers  to  lay  before  them 
once  more  the  Confession  of  the  Reformed  theologians  of  the 
churches  of  Switzerland,  Germany,  England,  and  the  Netherlands 
on  this  point  (1619). 

They  confessed :  "  That  the  Holy  Spirit  pervades  the  inmost  re- 
cesses of  the  man ;  He  opens  the  closed  and  softens  the  hardened 
heart,  and  circumcises  that  which  was  uncircumcised ;  infuses  new 
qualities  into  the  will,  which,  tho  heretofore  dead,  He  quickens; 
from  being  evil,  disobedient,  and  refractory.  He  renders  it  good, 
obedient,  and  pliable ;  actuates  and  strengthens  it,  that,  like  a  good 
tree,  it  may  bring  forth  the  fruits  of  good  actions  "  (third  section, 
fourth  Head  of  Doctrine,  art.  11). 

And  this  glorious  work  is,  according  to  the  unanimous  Confes- 
sion of  the  Reformed  churches,  performed  in  the  following  manner: 
"  That  the  Lord  does  not  take  away  the  will  and  its  properties,  neither 
does  violence  thereto ;  but  spiritually  quickens,  heals,  corrects,  and 
at  the  same  time  sweetly  and  powerfully  bends  it ;  that  where  car- 
nal rebellion  and  resistance  formerly  prevailed,  a  ready  and  sincere 
spiritual  obedience  begins  to  reign ;  in  which  the  true  and  spiritual 
restoration  and  freedom  of  our  will  consist "  (third  section,  fourth 
Head  of  Doctrine,  art.  16). 


IX. 
Implanted  Dispositions. 

**  Perfecting  holiness  in  the  fear  of  the 
Lord." — 2  Cor.  vii.  i. 

To  deny  that  the  Holy  Spirit  creates  new  dispositions  in  the  will 
is  equivalent  to  a  return  to  Romish  error;  even  tho  Rome  argues 
the  matter  in  a  different  way. 

Rome  denies  the  total  corruption  of  the  will  by  sin ;  that  its  dis- 
position is  wholly  evil.  Hence,  the  will  of  the  sinner  not  being 
wholly  useless,  it  follows:  (i)  that  the  regenerate  does  not  need  the 
implanting  of  a  new  disposition ;  (2)  that  in  this  respect  there  is  no 
difference  between  the  regenerate  and  the  unregenerate.  They  who 
introduce  into  the  Reformed  churches  this  and  similar  teachings 
ought  to  consider  that  they  impair  one  of  the  foundations  of  the 
Reformation,  and,  however  unintentionally,  lead  us  back  to  Rome. 

The  principal  question  in  this  controversy  is :  whether  man  is 
something  or  nothing. 

If  man  is  absolutely  nothing,  as  some  fondly  proclaim,  then  God 
can  not  work  in  him ;  for  He  can  not  work  in  nothing.  In  nothing 
one  can  make  nothing.  In  nothing  nothing  can  be  implanted.  To 
nothing  nothing  can  cleave.  Nothing  can  not  be  a  channel  for 
anything.  If  man  is  nothing,  there  can  be  neither  sin  nor  justifica- 
tion, for  the  sin  of  nothing  is  nothing,  and  nothing  is  no  sin.  Noth- 
ing can  not  be  born  again,  or  be  converted,  or  share  the  glory  of 
the  children  of  God.  And  if  there  is  no  sin,  there  is  no  need  of  a 
Savior  to  atone  for  sin ;  for  to  atone  for  nothing  is  no  atonement. 
Then  there  is  no  need  of  discussing  sanctification  at  all.  This 
shows  that  the  idea  that  man  is  nothing  can  not  be  taken  in  the 
absolute  sense.  Since  man  is  a  being,  he  must  be  something ;  and 
they  who  maintain  that  he  is  nothing  show  by  their  actions  that 
they  consider  themselves  far  from  nothing. 

But  if  we  put  it,  "Man  is  nothing  before  God,"  it  becomes  at 
once  intelligible.     Then  every  good  Christian  subscribes  to  it  un- 


IMPLANTED    DISPOSITIONS  465 

conditionally ;  he  mourns  only  that  it  is  so  hard  to  become  nothing 
before  God ;  and  with  all  the  saints  he  prays  that  he  may  more  sin- 
cerely deny  himself,  die  to  himself,  and  know  himself  as  nothing 
before  God.  Measured  by  God,  man  has  no  value.  All  his  en- 
deavor to  be  something  before  God  is  ridiculous  folly.  Every  pul- 
pit ought  to  cast  down,  as  with  trumpet-tones,  every  mountain  of 
pride,  and  humble  man  before  God,  so  that,  feeling  himself  a  mere 
drop  in  the  bucket — yea,  less  than  nothing — he  may  find  rest  in  the 
adoration  of  the  divine  Majesty. 

Before  God  man  is  not  anything,  not  even  the  regenerate  man ; 
but  in  His  hand,  by  His  ordinance,  and  in  His  estimation,  he  is  so 
great  that  "  God  crowns  him  with  glory  and  honor,"  loves  him  as 
His  child,  makes  him  an  heir  of  the  heavenly  bliss,  and  invites  him 
to  spend  eternity  with  Him. 

These  two  may  never  be  confounded;  man's  absolute  nothing- 
ness before  God  may  never  be  applied  to  man  as  an  instrument  /;/ 
.  God's  hand.  And  man's  mighty  significance  as  God's  instrument 
may  never  tend  to  make  him  the  merest  something  before  God  as 
a  being. 

So  we  oppose  pantheistic  Mysticism  and  deadly  Pelagianism. 

The  essential  mistake  of  the  latter  is,  that  it  gives  man  as  such 
a  certain  standing  before  God,  and  refuses  to  acknowledge  that 
even  the  most  learned  and  most  excellent,  whose  breath  is  in  his 
nostrils,  "  Yea,  wherein  is  he  to  be  esteemed?"  is  less  than  nothing 
before  God.  And  false  Mysticisfn  is  that  injurious  tendency  of  the 
human  mind  which,  in  all  ages  and  among  all  nations,  for  the  sake 
of  being  nothing  before  God,  denies  man's  significance  even  as 
God's  instrument.  In  its  writings  it  is  reiterated  that  before  God 
man  is  nothing,  that  in  God  he  disappears  and  loses  himself,  that 
God  absorbs  him.  And  this  being  absorbed  is  pushed  so  far  that 
nothing  remains  to  which  sin  or  guilt  can  be  ascribed.  And  thus 
the  consciousness  of  responsibility  and  the  conception  of  imputabil- 
ity  were  lost.  Christian  men,  carried  away  by  the  fascination  of 
being  nothing,  have  sung  hymns  and  preached  sermons  very  ac- 
ceptable to  the  Buddhists  of  India,  but  entirely  outside  of  the  pale 
of  Christianity. 

Man  as  God's  instrument  is  significant  indeed.  In  creating  him 
from  nothing  He  created,  not  nothing,  but  something;  and  that 
something  was  so  important  that  all  creatures  made  before  him 
30 


466  SANCTIFICATION 

pointed  to  him ;  in  Paradise  he  alone  was  the  bearer  of  the  divine 
image.  Dominion  over  all  the  earth  was  given  to  him ;  he  is  even 
to  judge  the  angels.  "  The  Son  assumed  the  nature,  not  of  angels, 
but  of  man." 

To  say  that  this  means  that  man  is  only  a  mirror  reflecting  the 
divine  nature  is  the  vain  effort  of  this  sickly  mysticism  to  reconcile 
man's  significance  with  its  own  pantheistic  theories.  The  Scripture 
teaches,  not  that  God  reflects  something  in  us,  but  that  He  im- 
parts it  to  us.  The  love  of  God  by  the  Holy  Spirit  is  shed  abroad 
in  our  hearts.  The  Lord  makes  us  His  temple  and  enters  therein. 
A  divine  seedKs  placed  in  the  soul.  Pure  water  is  sprinkled  upon  us. 
The  Scripture  uses  many  other  images  to  warn  us  against  the  false 
theory  that  denies  the  inherent  disposition  in  the  soul  and  reduces 
man  to  a  mere  looking-glass.  The  branch  is  not  a  reflection  of  the 
vine,  but  grows  from  the  trunk  bearing  leaf  and  cluster.  A  child  is 
not  a  mere  mirror  of  the  father,  but  a  being  possessed  of  life  and 
quality.  An  enemy  is  not  one  who  merely  fails  to  reflect  correctly, 
but  a  being  endowed  with  real  existence. 

To  make  man,  even  as  God's  instrument,  a  mere  mirror  in  prin- 
ciple denies  sin,  destroys  the  sense  of  responsibility,  and  changes 
actual  life  into  the  fancies  of  a  dream. 

The  Scripture  teaches  on  this  point  that  before  God  man  is 
nothing;  that  only  through  God  man  is  something;  and  that  all  in- 
herent and  acquired  goodness  comes  only  from  the  Fountain  of  all 
good.  And,  following  in  the  steps  of  the  Reformed  fathers,  we 
must  maintain  this  doctrine.  But  to  deny  man's  real  and  peculiar 
being  is  inconsistent  with  Scripture  and  with  the  Confession. 

Thus  escaping  from  the  chaos  of  a  false  mysticism,  and  return- 
ing to  the  purified  and  ordained  truth,  we  find  no  more  difficulty  in 
sanctification.  Of  course,  if  God's  child  is  but  a  polished  mirror, 
then  they  who  deny  the  inherent,  holy  disposition  are  right,  and 
such  disposition  is  out  of  the  question.  As  a  mirror,  man  is  dead, 
and  all  that  can  be  seen  in  him  is  but  a  faint  and  passing  reflection 
of  the  image  of  God.  But  if  man,  as  God's  instrument,  has  being 
of  his  own  kind,  it  is  natural  that  besides  being,  God  gave  him  also 
qualities.  A  being  without  qualities  is  unthinkable.  There  are 
qualities  in  every  sphere:  in  the  material  world,  for  man  eats, 
drinks,  walks,  and  sleeps;  in  the  intellectual  world,  for  he  thinks, 
judges,  and  decides ;  in  matters  of  taste,  for  he  judges  things  to  be 


IMPLANTED   DISPOSITIONS  467 

beautiful,  ugly,  or  indifferent ;  and  in  the  moral  world,  for  his  de- 
sires are  righteous  or  unrighteous,  noble  or  base,  good  or  evil. 

And  these  qualities  differ  in  different  men.  One  loves  food 
which  another  abhors.  The  judgment  of  one  is  blunt,  and  of  an- 
other sharp.  One  calls  handsome  what  another  calls  unsightly; 
good,  what  another  deems  evil.  Hence  there  must  be  a  difference 
in  men's  essential  conditions,  which  may  spring  from  their  respec- 
tive tempers,  education,  occupations,  etc.  Some  men  have  these 
differences  in  common.  Men  of  one  group  do  not  consider  cursing 
sinful,  but  rather  seem  to  enjoy  it;  those  of  another  abhor  it  and 
protest  against  it.  This  proves  that  between  these  two  there  must 
be  a  difference  of  something;  for  without  a  different  cause  there 
can  be  no  different  effect.  And  this  difference  which  causes  some 
men  to  enjoy  cursing  and  others  to  abhor  it  is  called  the  disposition 
of  a  man's  personality. 

It  may  be  holy  or  unholy,  but  never  indifferent.  Being  corrupt 
and  unholy  in  unregenerate  human  nature,  it  can  not  be  holy  in  the 
regenerate  unless  God  create  it  in  them.  That  which  is  born  of  the 
flesh  is  flesh.  All  our  running  and  racing,  toiling  and  slaving,  can 
not  create  in  us  a  holy  disposition.  God  alone  can  do  that.  As  He 
has  the  power  by  regeneration  to  change  the  root  of  life,  so  can  He 
also  by  sanctification  change  the  disposition  of  the  affections.  And 
He  could  have  done  this  at  once,  just  as  in  regeneration,  by  making 
our  nature  at  once  perfect  in  all  its  dispositions;  but  He  that  giveth 
no  account  of  any  of  His  matters  has  not  been  pleased  to  do  so. 

Of  course.  He  delivers  His  child  at  once  from  the  bondage  of 
sin ;  but  as  a  rule  the  sanctification  of  his  dispositions  is  gradual — 
except  in  deceased  infants  elect,  and  men  converted  on  their  death- 
bed. In  all  others  the  implanting  of  holy  dispositions  goes  step  by 
step,  sometimes  even  with  temporal  relapse.  Without  this  increase 
in  Christ  there  can  be  no  sanctification;  and  the  soul  that  falls 
short  of  sanctification,  what  ground  has  it  to  glory  in  its  election? 


X. 

Perfect  in  Parts,  Imperfect  in  Degrees. 

"  And  the  very  God  of  peace  sanctify 
you  wholly  ;  and  I  pray  God  your 
whole  spirit  and  soul  and  body  be 
preserved  blameless  unto  the  com- 
ing of  our  Lord  Jesus  Christ." — i 
Thess.  V.  23. 

The  Scriptural  doctrine  that  sanctification  is  a  gradual  process 
perfected  only  in  death  must  be  maintained  clearly  and  soberly : 
jftrsf,  in  opposition  to  the  Perfectionist,  who  says  that  saints  may 
be  "  wholly  sanctified"  in  this  life;  secondly,  to  those  who  deny  the 
implanting  of  inherent  holy  dispositions  in  God's  children. 

It  should  be  noticed,  therefore,  that  Sacred  Scripture  distin- 
guishes sanctification  imperfect  in  degrees,  and  sanctification  per- 
fect in  parts.  A  normal  infant,  tho  small,  is  a  perfect  human  being. 
Of  course  it  must  grow,  but  it  has  all  the  parts  of  the  human  body. 
The  mental  faculties  can  not  be  examined,  but  the  bodily  members 
are  obviously /^/y>^/  and  complete.  The  head  may  not  be  covered 
with  hair,  various  members  may  be  still  incomplete,  but  that  does 
not  impair  its  perfection;  in  a  small  beginning  the  constituent 
parts  and  members  are  all  present.  Hence  the  child  is  called  per- 
fect in  parts. 

Yet  it  is  not  perfect  in  degrees,  i.e.,  it  has  not  attained  its  full 
growth.  It  must  grow  and  increase  in  every  respect.  And  this  is 
a  slow  and  imperceptible  progress.  A  garment  fitting  perfectly  at 
night  is  never  too  small  in  the  morning.  One  night's  growth  is 
imperceptible.  Yet  we  grow  and  increase;  and  until  death's  hour 
the  body  changes  constantly.  And  this  increase  and  the  subse- 
quent decrease  of  old  age  affect  all  the  parts  equally.  It  never  hap- 
pens that  a  child's  arm  grows,  but  not  his  leg.  that  his  neck  ex- 
pands, while  the  head  remains  small.     This  gradual  increase  is 


PERFECT  IN  PARTS,  IMPERFECT  IN  DEGREES     469 

the  expanding  force  of  an  inherent  vital  principle,  pervading  all  the 
members  and  every  part. 

This  applies  to  the  children  of  God  in  the  second  birth  even 
more  forcibly,  for  in  the  divine  kingdom  are  no  deformities;  all 
proceed  from  the  hand  of  their  Creator  a  perfect  creation.  This 
perfection  is  in  the  parts,  i.e.,  they  have  what  essentially  belongs  to 
them  And  every  member  is  internally  animated  and  wrought 
upon  from  one  vital  principle,  by  the  Holy  Spirit,  in  such  a  way 
that  all  the  parts  are  affected  by  it  spontaneously.  Hence  in  sane- 
tification  holy  desires  and  inclinations  must  spring  from  that  inter- 
nal  vital  principle  in  the  parts  and  pervade  every  member. 

In  this  sense  sanctification  is  a.  perfect  work;  not  externally, 
but  on  God's  part,  in  that  He  causes  the  sanctifying  principle  to 
affect  every  member.  He  does  not  first  sanctify  the  will,  then  the 
understanding,  or  first  the  soul  and  then  the  body;  but  His  work 
embraces  the  entire  new  man  at  once. 

But  sanctification  is  imperfect  in  the  degree  of  its  development. 
When  for  ten  years  God  has  wrought  in  us,  the  holy  desire  must  be 
much  stronger  than  in  the  beginning.  This  is  the  result  of  growth. 
of  gradual  increase,  despite  many  ups  and  downs,  almost  imper- 
ceptible. Hence  there  are  steps,  ascending  from  less  to  more  with 
reference  to  the  new  man ;  and  descending  from  more  to  less  in  the 
dying  of  the  old;  but  in  both  a  gradual  change,  ever  farther  from 
Satan  and  nearer  to  God. 

"  Perfect  in  parts,  imperfect  in  degrees."  as  our  godly  fathers 
used  to  say.  by  which  they  illustrated  the  second  birth  by  compar- 
ing  it  with  the  first;  and  in  this  they  simply  followed  Scripture, 
which  places  the  perfection  of  God's  gift  alongside  the  imperfection 
of  our  gradual  increase.      The  Catechism  expresses  it  as  follows: 
"  Even  the  holiest  men.  while  in  this  life,  have  only  small  begin- 
nings of  this  obedience;  yet  so  that  with  a  sincere  resolution  they 
begin  to  live  not  only  according  to  some,  but  to  all,  the  command- 
ments of  God"  (q.  1 14).     St.  Paul  says  that  "  Christ  has  given  some 
pastors  and  some  teachers,  for  the  perfecting  of  saints,  for  the  work 
of  the  ministry,  for  the  edifying  of  the  body  of  Christ;   till  we  all 
come  in  the  unity  of  the  faith  and  of  the  knowledge  of  the  Son  of 
God  unto  a  perfect  man.  unto  the  measure  of  the  stature  of  the 
fulnLss  of  Christ"  (Ephes.  iv.  12).     In  2  Cor.  x.  15  he  hopes  to  be 
enlarged  among  them  when  their  faith  shall  be  increased     To  the 
Colossians  he  writes:   "That  ye  might  walk  worthy  of  the  Lord. 


470  SANCTIFICATION 

unto  all  pleasing,  being  fruitful  in  every  good  work,  and  increasing 
in  the  knowledge  of  God"  (Col.  i.  lo).  To  the  Thessalonians: 
"  Your  faith  groweth  exceedingly,  and  the  charity  of  every  one  of 
you  all  toward  each  other  aboundeth"  (2  Thess.  i.  3).  The  psalm- 
ist sings  that  "  the  righteous  shall  flourish  as  a  palm-tree  " ;  and  St. 
Paul  says  to  Timothy,  his  son  in  Christ :  "  Give  thyself  wholly  to 
these  things,  that  thy  perfecting  may  appear  to  all"  (i  Tim.  iv.  15). 
From  his  own  experience  the  apostle  testifies :  "  Not  as  tho  I  had 
already  attained,  but  I  follow  after  if  that  I  may  apprehend."  And 
writing  to  the  Corinthians,  he  draws  a  picture  of  the  fruit  of  sanc- 
tification,  saying :  "  But  we  all  are  changed  unto  the  same  image 
from  glory  to  glory,  even  as  by  the  Spirit  of  the  Lord." 

But  we  should  not  fall  in  the  common  error  of  applying  to  sanc- 
tification  what  Scripture  teaches  concerning  the  "  children "  and 
the  "perfect."  This  causes  confusion.  Speaking  of  different  classes 
of  believers,  Scripture  recognizes  the  fact  that  there  are  different 
degrees.  This  appears  most  clearly  from  St.  John's  first  epistle  (ii. 
12-14),  where  he  addresses  believers  as  "young  men"  and  as 
"  fathers,"  evidently  with  reference  to  their  age,  for  he  places  the 
latter  as  more  mature  in  spiritual  experience  above  the  former. 
In  Heb.  v.  13,  14,  St.  Paul  distinguishes  the  "perfect"  who  use 
strong  meat,  and  the  "babes"  who  depend  upon  milk.  To  the 
Corinthians:  "  Brethren,  I  could  not  speak  unto  you  as  unto  spiri- 
tual, but  as  unto  carnal,"  i.e.,  to  those  who  can  not  bear  meat,  but 
who  must  still  be  fed  with  milk  (i  Cor.  iii.  iijf.).  That  these 
words  relate  to  sanctification  is  evident  from  what  follows :  "  For 
ye  are  yet  carnal,  whereas  there  is  among  you  envying  and  strife 
(ver.  3).  Of  himself  he  testifies:  "When  I  was  a  child  I  understood 
as  a  child;  but  when  I  became  a  man  I  put  away  childish  things" 
(I  Cor.  xiii.  11).  He  exhorts  the  Ephesians  (iv.  14):  "Be  no  more 
children  tossed  to  and  fro  with  every  wind  of  doctrine";  and  among 
the  Philippians  he  distinguishes  the  perfect  and  the  not  perfect, 
saying:  "  Let  us,  therefore,  as  many  as  be  perfect,  be  thus  minded" 
(iii.  15). 

Hence  the  apostle  evidently  distinguished  two  classes  of  be- 
lievers: those  whose  condition  is  normal,  and  those  who  are  still 
in  a  preliminary  condition.  Scripture  designates  the  former  as 
"  perfect,"  "  adults,"  "  men  and  fathers"  to  whom  belongs  the  strong 
meat;  the  latter  as  "  babes,"  "  young  men"  who  still  use  the  milk. 


PERFECT  IN  PARTS,  IMPERFECT  IN  DEGREES     471 

Now  the  question  arises  whether  the  transition  from  the  former 
unto  the  latter  is  the  same  as  the  gradual  increase  of  sanctification. 
Generally  the  answer  is  affirmative ;  but  Scripture  answers  it  nega- 
tively, for  reasons  as  clear  as  daylight.  Convincing  proof  we  find 
in  Phil.  iii.  12-15.  In  verse  12  St.  Paul  says,  "  I  am  not  yet  perfect"; 
and  directly  after  that  (ver.  15),  and  in  the  same  connection,  he  puts 
himself  just  as  distinctly  among  the  perfect;  yea.  he  offers  himself 
even  as  their  example. 

It  is  evident  that  when  St.  Paul,  under  the  direct  leading  of  the 
Holy  Spirit,  declares  in  the  same  moment  that  he  is  not  yet  per- 
fect, and  that  he  is  perfect,  yea,  the  example  of  the  perfect,  the 
word  "  perfect"  may  not  be  taken  in  the  same  sense  in  both  cases; 
in  the  one  it  must  have  a  different  meaning  from  that  in  the  other. 

They  who  believe  in  gradual  sanctification  should  not  appeal  to 
this  and  similar  passages  to  support  their  doctrine.  Such  misap- 
plication of  Scripture  is  grist  for  the  mill  of  the  Perfectionists,  who 
with  good  reason  reply :  "  The  apostles  were  evidently  acquainted 
with  saints  '  wholly  sanctified'  like  ourselves." 

And  what  is  the  difference? 

A  child  and  a  man  are  not  the  same ;  the  latter  is  physically 
full  grown,  the  former  is  not.  The  latter  having  attained  manhood 
enters  upon  the  new  process  of  becoming  nobler,  more  refined, 
inwardly  stronger.  The  oak  continues  to  grow  until  it  has  attained 
its  full  height,  which  process  covers  many  years.  But  this  is  not 
the  end  of  its  development.  On  the  contrary,  it  does  not  begin  to 
acquire  its  iron  qualities  until  it  is  full  grown.  The  child  is  sent 
to  school  for  the  exercise  of  its  powers.  Having  passed  through 
successive  institutions,  and  being  graduated  from  the  highest,  he 
receives  his  diploma  which  declares  that  his  education  is  finished 
and  that  he  is  ready  to  enter  upon  his  life's  career ;  i.e. ,  his  education 
is  finished  so  far  as  the  school  is  concerned.  But  this  does  not  im- 
ply that  he  has  nothing  more  to  learn.  On  the  contrary,  only  now 
are  his  eyes  opened  to  see  the  reality  and  actual  condition  of  things. 
His  education  is  finished,  and  yet  he  only  begins  to  learn. 

And  the  same  applies  to  those  whom  Scripture  calls  "  perfect.  * 
A  new  convert  should  first  go  to  school,  and  not,  after  the  practise 
of  Methodism,*  be  directly  put  to  work  to  convert  others  as  a  per- 

*  For  the  author's  sense  in  which  he  takes  Methodism,  see  section  5  of 
the  Preface.— Trans. 


472  SANCTIFICATION 

feet  believer.  He  is  only  a  babe,  says  the  apostle,  a  partaker  of 
milk ;  and  a  babe  can  not  be  expected  to  assist  as  midwife  or  nurse 
in  the  spiritual  birth  of  other  babes. 

It  is  the  great  mistake  of  many  Sunday-schools  to  make  sucking 
lambs  do  the  work  of  ewes;  of  neglecting  to  feed  the  new-born 
babes  with  spiritual  knowledge  and  discipline.  And  the  insane 
notion,  which  is  gaining  ground  more  and  more,  that  a  young  man 
who  has  evinced  but  a  slight  stir  of  spiritual  life  must  be  promoted 
at  once  to  the  state  of  the  mature  Christian,  brings  destruction 
upon  the  Church.  This  is  why  so  few  inquire  after  the  truth,  or 
seek  to  enrich  themselves  with  spiritual  knowledge ;  why  the  spiri- 
tual life  seems  to  consist  only  of  running  and  racing  until,  spiritually 
exhausted  and  impoverished,  men  sit  down  bitterly  disappointed. 
This  makes  unhealthy  Christians,  spiritually  consumptive,  tall  and 
thin,  with  glittering  eye  and  hectic  cheek,  but  without  manly 
strength  and  vigorous  pulse.  Of  course,  such  can  not  resist  the 
whirlwind  of  strange  teachings  without  being  carried  about  with 
every  wind  of  doctrine. 

Wherefore  we  repeat  that  a  new-born  babe  must  first  be  fed 
with  milk ;  then  be  sent  to  school,  not  to  teach,  but  to  learn.  And 
the  ministers  of  the  Word  in  the  pulpit,  parents  at  home,  and  teach- 
ers in  our  Christian  schools  should  examine  themselves  whether 
they  understand  the  art  of  feeding  the  babes  with  milk,  whether  in 
the  teaching  the  bread  is  not  too  heavy,  whether  they  have  not  for- 
gotten that  there  are  sucking  lambs  in  the  flock. 

Of  course,  the  time  will  come  when  the  suckling  will  be  able  to 
digest  solid  food.  Knowledge  will  accumulate,  and  by  and  by  his 
education  be  finished.  And  then  it  would  be  exceedingly  foolish 
not  to  go  on  to  perfection,  but  to  withhold  solid  food,  and  to  con- 
tinue to  feed  all  the  members  of  the  church  alike  on  milk.  Such  a 
course  would  soon  empty  the  church.  Men  provided  with  spiritual 
teeth  can  not  live  on  such  diet.  The  preaching  which  is  always 
laying  the  first  foundations  kills  both  preacher  and  people. 

Hence  there  is  a  time  in  the  life  of  the  saint  when  this  first 
process  of  growth  is  finished;  when  believers,  having  become  men, 
take  their  place  among  the  mature  and  perfect.  And  in  this  sense 
we  hear  the  apostle  say :  "  I  do  not  belong  to  the  babes  in  their 
mother's  lap,  nor  to  the  children  at  school,  but  to  the  adults  and 
the  perfect  whose  education  is  finished.  But,  O  brethren,  do  not 
think  that  I  am  perfect  inwardly,  for  I  have  not  yet  attained ,  but 


PERFECT  IN  PARTS,  IMPERFECT  IN  DEGREES     473 

I  follow  after,  if  that  I  may  apprehend  that  for  which  also  I  am  ap- 
prehended  of  Christ  Jesus." 

We  see  the  same  difference  in  plant  and  animal,  in  the  natural 
and  spiritual  birth.  There  is  first  a  growth  to  attain  the  full  stat- 
ure,  then  only  the  real  development  begins  which  in  the  children 
of  God  IS  the  unfolding  of  the  holy  disposition  in  their  own  person 


XI. 

The  Pietist  and  the  Perfectionist. 

*'  He  chastens  us  for  our  profit,  that 
we  might  be  partakers  of  His 
holiness.  "—//<f^.  xii.  lo. 

Sanctification  is  a  gracious  work  of  God,  whereby  in  a  super- 
natural way  He  gradually  divests  from  sin  the  inclinations  and 
dispositions  of  the  regenerate  and  clothes  them  with  holiness. 

Here  we  meet  a  serious  objection  which  deserves  our  careful 
attention.  To  the  superficial  observer,  the  spiritual  experience  of 
God's  children  seems  diametrically  opposed  to  this  professed  gift 
of  sanctification.  One  says:  "Can  it  be  that  for  more  than  ten 
years  I  have  been  the  subject  of  a  divine  operation  whereby  my 
desires  and  inclinations  were  divested  of  sin  and  clothed  with  holi- 
ness? If  this  is  the  Gospel,  then  I  belong  not  to  the  Lord's  redeemed ; 
for  in  myself  I  perceive  scarcely  any  progress;  I  only  know  that  my 
first  love  has  become  cold  and  that  the  inward  corruption  is  ap- 
palling. Some  dream  of  progress,  but  I  discover  in  myself  scarcely 
anything  but  backsliding.  No  gain  but  loss,  is  the  sad  footing-up 
of  the  account.     My  only  hope  is  Immanuel  my  Surety." 

While  the  experience  of  a  broken  heart  vents  its  grief  in  this 
way,  others  exhort  us  not  to  encourage  spiritual  pride.  They  say: 
"  We  should  not  foster  spiritual  pride  in  God's  children,  for  by 
nature  they  are  already  thus  inclined.  What  is  more  conducive  to 
spiritual  pride  than  the  conceit  of  an  ever-advancing  holiness?  Is 
not  holiness  the  highest  and  most  glorious  attainment?  Is  it  not 
our  comprehensive  prayer  to  be  made  partakers  of  His  holiness? 
And  would  you  have  these  souls  imagine  that,  since  they  were  con- 
verted a  number  of  years  ago,  they  have  attained  already  a  consid- 
erable degree  of  this  divine  perfection?  Would  you  give  license  to 
older  Christians  to  feel  themselves  above  their  younger  brethren? 
Holiness  wants  to  be  noticed ;  hence  you  incite  them  to  a  display 


THE    PIETIST   AND   THE    PERFECTIONIST  475 

of  their  good  works.     What  is  this  but  to  cultivate  a  spirit  of  Phari- 
saism?" 

We  may  not  rest  until  this  objection  of  the  sensitive  conscience 
is  entirely  removed. 

Not  as  tho  we  could  escape  all  dangers  of  Pharisaism.  This 
would  silence  every  exhortation  to  holy  living.  Light  without 
shadows  is  impossible ;  the  shadows  disappear  only  in  absolute  dark- 
ness. In  the  days  of  the  ancient  Pharisee,  Jerusalem,  compared 
with  Rome  and  Athens,  was  a  God-fearing  city.  Pharisaism  was 
never  more  bold  than  in  the  days  of  Jesus.  And  history  shows  that 
the  danger  of  Pharisaism  has  always  been  least  in  the  Romish  and 
greatest  in  the  Reformed  churches;  and  among  the  latter,  it  is 
strongest  where  the  name  of  God  is  most  exalted.  Godliness  is 
impossible  without  the  shadow  of  Pharisaism.  The  brighter  the 
light  and  glory  of  the  former,  the  darker  the  shadow  of  the  latter. 
To  escape  Pharisaism  altogether  one  must  descend  into  the  lowest 
pest-holes  of  society,  where  nothing  bridles  the  passions  of  men. 

And  this  is  natural.  Pharisaism  is  not  a  common  corruption, 
but  the  mildew  of  the  noblest  fruit  the  earth  ever  saw — viz. ,  godli- 
ness. The  circles  that  are  free  from  Pharisaism  also  lack  the  high- 
est good ;  how,  then,  could  it  decay  there?  And  the  circles  in  which 
this  danger  is  greatest  are  the  very  circles  in  which  the  highest  good 
is  known  and  exalted. 

But,  apart  from  this  aimless  skirmishing  with  the  Pharisaic 
phantom,  the  scruple  mentioned  above  has  our  heartiest  sympathy. 
If  it  were  true  that  sanctification  so  impressed  the  soul  as  to  incite 
it  to  pride,  it  could  not  be  the  real  article ;  for  of  all  unholiness 
pride  is  the  most  abominable.  It  is  David's  sweet  and  sincere  sup- 
plication :  "  Keep  back  thy  servant  also  from  presumptuous  sins ;  let 
them  not  have  dominion  over  me ;  then  shall  I  be  upright  and  shall 
be  innocent  from  the  great  transgressions."  The  fundamental  con- 
ception of  grace  is  so  intimately  connected  with  the  idea  of  becom- 
ing a  little  child,  and  its  gift  is  so  strongly  conditioned  upon  a  humble 
disposition,  that  the  gift  which  encourages  spiritual  pride  can  not 
be  a  gift  of  grace. 

But  we  are  confident  that  the  doctrine  of  sanctification,  as  pre- 
sented in  these  pages  according  to  the  Holy  Scripture,  has  nothing 
in  common  with  this  caricature.     Since  in  Paradise  sin  sprang  from 


476  SANCTIFICATION 

the  first  Satanic  incitement  to  pride,  and  all  spiritual  and  carnal 
unholiness  still  grows  from  that  poisonous  root,  it  is  evident  that 
the  first  eflEect  of  the  implanted,  holy  disposition  must  be  the 
humbling  of  this  pride,  the  pulling  down  of  this  stronghold ;  and 
at  the  same  time  the  quickening  of  a  humble,  meek,  and  childlike 
spirit. 

The  idea  that  sanctification  consists  in  inspiring  the  saint  with 
horror  for  gross  and  outward  sins,  without  a  previous  breaking 
down  of  self-conceit,  is  unscriptural  and  opposed  by  the  Reformed 
churches.  The  Scripture  teaches  that  the  Holy  Spirit  never  ap- 
plies sanctification  to  the  believer  without  attacking  all  his  sins  at 
once.  "  A  sincere  resolution  to  live  not  only  according  to  some,  but 
to  all  the  commandments  of  God"  (Heidelberg  Catechism). 

Of  all  sins  pride  is  the  most  accursed,  for  in  all  its  manifesta- 
tions it  is  the  transgression  of  the  first  commandment.  Hence  real 
and  divinely  wrought  sanctification  is  inconceivable  without,  first 
of  all,  destroying  pride,  and  creating  a  humble,  quiet,  self-distrust- 
ing, and  childlike  disposition. 

And  this  solves  the  whole  difficulty.  He  who  fears  that  gradual 
sanctification  will  lead  to  pride  and  self-conceit  confounds  its  hu- 
man counterfeit  with  the  real  work  divinely  wrought.  Wherefore, 
with  this  objection,  he  must  attack  the  hypocrite,  and  not  us. 

However,  a  wrong  interpretation  of  what  the  Scripture  calls 
"flesh"  might  suggest  it.  If  "  flesh "  signifies  sensual  inclinations 
and  bodily  appetites,  and  sanctification  consisted  almost  entirely  in 
warring  against  these  sins,  sanctification  thus  understood  might 
be  accompanied  by  an  increase  of  spiritual  pride.  But  by  sinful 
"  flesh "  the  Scripture  denotes  the  entire  man,  body  and  soul,  in- 
cluding sins  which  are  spiritual  as  well  as  sensual;  hence  sanctifi- 
cation aims  at  once  at  the  change  of  man's  spiritual  and  sensual 
inclinations,  and  first  of  all  at  his  tendency  to  pride. 

In  the  preceding  article  we  said  that  sanctification  included  a 
descent  as  well  as  an  ascent.  When  the  Lord  raises  us,  we  also 
descend.  There  is  no  rising  of  the  new  man  without  a  death  of 
the  old ;  and  every  attempt  to  teach  sanctification  without  doing 
full  justice  to  both  is  unscriptural. 

We  oppose,  therefore,  the  attempts  of  the  Pietist  and  of  the  Per- 
fectionist, who  say  that  they  have  nothing  more  to  do  with  the  old 
man,  that  nothing  remains  in  them  to  be  mortified,  and  that  all 


THE    PIETIST   AND   THE    PERFECTIONIST     477 

that  is  required  of  them  is  to  hurry  the  growth  of  the  new  man. 
And  we  equally  oppose  the  opposite,  which  admits  the  dying  of 
the  old  man,  but  denies  the  rising  of  the  new,  and  that  the  soul 
receives  all  that  it  lacks. 

Every  true  and  lasting  conversion,  according  to  our  Catechism, 
must  manifest  itself  in  these  two  parts,  viz.,  a  mortification  of  the 
old  man,  and  a  rising  of  the  new,  in  equal  proportions. 

And  in  answer  to  the  question,  "  What  is  the  mortification  of 
the  old  man?"  the  Heidelberg  Catechism  answers,  "A  gradual 
decrease,"  for  it  says :  "  It  is  a  sincere  sorrow  of  heart  that  we  have 
provoked  God  by  our  sins ;  and  more  and  more  to  hate  and  flee  from 
them."  While  the  quickening  of  the  new  man  is  expressed  just  as 
positively :  "  It  is  a  sincere  joy  of  heart  in  God  through  Christ, 
and  with  love  and  delight  to  live  according  to  the  will  of  God  in 
all  good  works" — a  declaration  that  is  repeated  in  the  answer  of 
the  115th  question,  which  thus  describes  this  mortification :  "That 
all  our  lifetime  we  may  learn  more  and  more  to  know  our  sinful 
nature " ;  and  which  speaks  of  the  quickening  of  the  new  man  as 
"  becoming  more  and  more  conformable  to  the  image  of  God." 

Hence  there  are  two  parts,  or  rather  two  aspects  of  the  same 
thing:  (i)  the  breaking  down  of  the  old  man;  (2)  a  growing  con- 
formity to  the  divine  image. 

To  mortify  and  to  quicken,  to  kill  and  to  make  alive,  more  and 
more — this  is,  according  to  the  Confession  of  the  fathers,  the  work 
of  the  Triune  God  in  sanctification. 

Sin  is  not  merely  the  "  lack  of  righteousness."  As  soon  as  right- 
eousness, goodness,  and  wisdom  disappear,  unrighteousness,  evil, 
and  folly  take  their  place.  As  God  implanted  in  man  the  first  three 
named,  so  does  sin  not  merely  rob  him  of  them,  but  it  puts  the  last 
three  in  their  place.  Sin  did  not  only  kill  in  Adam  the  man  of  God, 
but  also  quickened  in  him  the  man  of  sin;  hence  sanctification 
must  effect  in  us  the  very  opposite.  It  must  mortify  that  which  sin 
has  quickened,  and  quicken  that  which  sin  has  mortified. 

If  this  rule  is  thoroughly  understood,  there  can  be  no  confusion. 
Our  idea  of  sanctification  necessarily  corresponds  to  our  idea  of  sin. 
They  who  consider  sin  as  a  mere  poison,  and  deny  the  loss  of  origi- 
nal righteousness,  are  Pietists,  they  ignore  the  mortification  of  the 
old  man,  and  always  busy  themselves  adorning  the  new.  And  they 
who  say  that  sin  is  the  loss  of  original  righteousness,  and  deny  its 


478  SANCTIFICATION 

positive,  evil  effects,  are  inclined  to  Antinomianism,  and  reduce 
sanctification  to  a  fancied  emancipation  from  the  old  man,  reject- 
ing the  rising  of  the  new. 

Of  course,  this  touches  the  doctrine  of  the  old  man  and  the  new. 

The  representation  that  the  soul  of  the  converted  is  an  arena 
where  the  two  are  engaged  in  a  hand-to-hand  fight  is  incorrect, 
and  has  not  a  single  satisfactory  text  for  its  support.  We  reject 
the  two  following  representations:  that  of  the  Antinomian,  who 
says:  "The  believing  ego  is  the  new  man  in  Christ  Jesus;  I  am 
not  responsible  for  the  old  man,  the  personal,  sinful  ego ;  he  may 
sin  as  much  as  he  please";  and  the  representation  of  the  Pietist, 
who  considers  him  still  the  old  man,  partly  renewed,  and  who  is 
always  busy  to  remodel  him.  These  two  do  not  belong  to  Christ's 
Church. 

The  Scripture  teaches,  not  that  the  old  man  is  sanctified  by  be- 
ing changed  into  the  new ;  but  that  the  old  man  must  be  mortified 
until  nothing  of  him  remains.  Neither  does  it  teach  that  in  regen- 
eration a  small  part  only  of  the  old  man  is  renewed — the  remainder  to 
be  patched  up  gradually — but  that  an  entirely  new  man  is  implanted. 

This  is  of  greatest  importance  for  the  right  understanding  of 
these  holy  things.  Sin  wrought  in  us  an  old  man,  the  body  of  sin ; 
not  merely  a  part,  but  the  whole,  with  all  that  belongs  to  him,  body 
and  soul.  Hence  that  old  man  must  die,  and  the  Pietist  with  all 
his  works  of  piety  can  never  galvanize  a  single  muscle  in  his  body. 
He  is  altogether  unprofitable,  and  must  perish  under  his  just  con- 
demnation. 

In  like  manner  God  graciously  regenerates  in  us  a  new  creature, 
which  is  also  a  cotnplete  man.  Therefore  we  may  not  take  the  new 
man  as  the  gradual  restoration  of  the  old.  The  two  have  nothing 
in  common  but  the  mutual  basis  of  the  same  personality.  The  new 
does  not  spring  from  the  old,  but  supersedes  him.  Being  only  in 
the  germ,  he  may  be  buried  in  the  newly  regenerate,  but  he  will 
arise  and  then  God's  work  appears  gloriously.  God  is  his  Author, 
Creator,  and  Father.  Not  the  old  man,  but  the  new  man  cries  out ; 
"Abba.  Father!" 

However,  our  ego  is  related  to  the  dying  old  man  and  the  rising 
new  man.  The  ego  of  a  non-elect  person  is  identified  with  the  old 
man ;  they  are  the  same.  But  in  the  consummation  of  the  heav- 
enly glory,  the  ego  of  God's  children  is  identified  with  the  new  man. 


THE    PIETIST   AND   THE   PERFECTIONIST     479 

But  during  the  days  of  our  earthly  life  this  is  not  so.  The  new 
man  of  an  unregenerate,  but  elect  person  exists  apart  from  him, 
but  hid  in  Christ.  He  is  still  wedded  to  his  old  man.  But  in  re- 
generation and  conversion  God  dissolves  this  unholy  marriage,  and 
He  unites  his  ego  to  the  new  man.  Yet,  despite  all  this,  he  is  not 
yet  rid  of  the  old  man.  Before  God  and  the  law,  from  the  view- 
point of  eternity,  he  may  be  so  considered,  but  not  actually  and 
really. 

And  this  is  the  cause  of  the  conflict  within  and  without.  All 
evil  ties  are  not  dissolved  at  once,  and  all  holy  ties  are  not  united 
at  once.  By  the  mystic  union  with  Christ  the  child  of  God  actually 
possesses  the  entire  new  man,  even  tho  he  should  die  to-morrow; 
but  he  has  not  yet  the  enjoyment  of  it.  Being  weaaed  to  the  new 
man  before  God,  he  is,  by  a  painful  process,  yet  to  die  to  the  old 
man,  and  by  divine  grace  the  new  man  is  to  be  raised  in  him.  And 
this  is  his  sanctification :  the  dying  of  the  old  and  the  rising  of  the 
new,  by  which  God  increases  and  we  decrease.  Blessed  manifesta- 
tion of  faith ! 


XII. 
The  Old  Man  and  the  New. 

"  That  we  being  dead  unto  sin  should 
live  unto  righteousness." — i  Peter 
iv.  24. 

The  Psalmist  sings :  "  They  go  from  strength  to  strength,  every 
one  of  them  in  Zion  appeareth  before  God."  We  must  maintain 
this  glorious  testimony,  altho  our  own  experience  often  seems  to 
contradict  it.  Not  experience,  but  the  Scripture,  teaches  us  divine 
truth;  nor  is  it  as  tho  the  procedure  of  the  divine  operation  in  our 
own  heart  could  differ  from  the  testimony  of  the  Sacred  Scripture, 
but  that  our  experience  often  interprets  our  real  spiritual  condition 
incorrectly. 

Our  knowledge  of  self  is  very  small.  The  plummet  of  our  self- 
consciousness  scarcely  reaches  below  the  surface,  while  God's  holy 
eye  penetrates  the  waters  of  the  soul  to  the  very  bottom.  We  are 
ignorant  of  much  that  takes  place  in  the  soul,  and  what  we  per- 
ceive of  it  ofteti  presents  itself  to  our  consciousness  as  different 
from  what  it  is  in  reality.  If  our  self-knowledge  were  perfect,  the 
testimony  of  our  spiritual  experience  would  be  as  reliable  as  that 
of  the  Scripture.  But  this  not  being  so,  not  even  among  God's 
children,  spiritual  experience,  tho  helpful,  may  never  weaken  the 
Word  of  God.  Hence,  tho  we  discover  in  ourselves  an  ever-grow- 
ing weakness,  the  Scripture  testimony  is  still  sure :  "  They  go  from 
strength  to  strength." 

But  who  goes  from  strength  to  strength?  Surely  not  the  old 
man.  It  may  not  be  said  that  regeneration  effected  a  change  in 
him  which  is  constantly  increasing,  which  enables  him  to  make 
such  commendable  progress  that  by  divine  help  he  will  probably 
succeed  in  the  end.  This  is  not  so.  vScripture  teaches  that  the  old 
man  is  dead,  condemned  to  die  forever;  that  he  is  incorrigible  and 
can  not  be  restored,  saved,  or  reconciled.  He  is  hopelessly  lost. 
And  instead  of  gradually  becoming  himself  again  he  must  be  cruci- 


THE  OLD  MAN  AND  THE  NEW     481 

fied,  slain,  and  buried.  Instead  of  expecting  anything  good  of  him, 
it  should  be  our  glory  to  die  to  him  and  be  rid  of  him. 

Neither  does  the  new  man  go  from  strength  to  strength.  He  is 
not  being  put  together  little  by  little  until  he  can  stand  on  his  own 
legs ;  but,  since  we  are  to  live  forever  in  the  new  creature,  it  must 
be  a  real  man  born  in  us.  And  as  such  he  can  not  increase  nor  de- 
crease ;  he  only  slumbers  in  the  germ  and  must  arise. 

But  my  person,  as  by  faith  I  stand  in  Christ,  must  go  from 
strength  to  strength.  That  person  was  once  born  in  the  old  man, 
and  therefore  was  born  in  trespasses  and  sin,  and  is  a  child  of  wrath 
by  nature.  And  he  would  never  have  come  out  and  escaped  from 
the  old  man  of  himself.  That  he  could  not  do.  He  was  identified 
with  the  old  man  so  completely  that  the  latter  was  his  very  ego. 
He  had  no  other  life  or  existence.  But  in  regeneration  a  change 
took  place.  By  this  divine  act  our  person  is  in  principle  detached 
from  his  former  ego  in  the  old  man.  The  root  was  notched  and, 
by  the  constant  action  of  storm  and  gravitation,  the  severed  parts 
separated  more  and  more.  Our  person  is  no  longer  identified  with 
the  old  man,  but  opposes  him.  Even  tho  he  succeeds  in  enticing 
us  again  to  sin,  even  in  the  yielding  we  do  not  what  we  jvill,  but 
what  we  hate.  Only  hear  what  St.  Paul  says :  "  The  good  which  I 
would  I  do  not,  but  the  evil  which  I  would  not  that  I  do.  Now,  if  I 
do  that  I  would  not,  it  is  no  more  I  that  do  it,  but  sin  that  dwelleth 
in  me." 

Wherefore  the  child  of  God  must  not  be  identified  with  the  old 
man  after  regeneration,  for  this  opposes  the  plain  teaching  of  the 
Word.  He  is  the  old  man  no  more,  but  wars  against  him.  As 
God's  child  he  is  become  the  new  man — not  in  part,  but  wholly. 
"  Old  things  are  passed  away,  behold  all  things  are  become  new." 
In  this,  and  nothing  less,  is  cause  of  his  glorying.  His  person  is 
passed  from  death  into  life.  He  is  translated  from  the  kingdom  of 
darkness  into  the  kingdom  of  God's  dear  Son.  He  is  so  fully  iden- 
tified with  the  new  man  that,  while  still  living  in  this  world,  he  is 
already  set  with  Christ  in  heaven,  where  his  citizenship  is,  and 
where  his  life  is  hid  with  Christ  in  God. 

If  the  word  of  the  Psalmist  does  not  refer  to  the  old  man  nor  to 

the  new,  to  whom,  then,  does  it  refer?    The  Scripture  answers :  to 

believers,  their  person,  their  ego,  which,  being  detached    from    the 

old  man  and  opposing  him,  is  identified  with  the  new.      They  go 

31 


482  SANCTIFICATION 

from  strength  to  strength.  It  is  true  the  use  of  "  ego "  in  both 
senses  is  apt  to  confuse  one;  yet  St.  Paul  does  the  same  thing.  He 
says  "  I "  and  "  not  I " :  "I  live,  yet  not  I,  but  Christ  liveth  in  me." 
The  same  person  who  fell  in  Adam  and  out  of  Adam  received  the 
old  man  with  whom  for  a  time  he  was  identified,  is  now  changed, 
translated,  and  risen  with  Christ ;  out  of  Christ  he  received  a  new 
man,  and  with  that  new  man  he  is  being  more  and  more  identified. 
Hence  he  goes  from  strength  to  strength. 

This  identification  of  our  person  with  the  new  man  is,  immedi- 
ately after  regeneration,  still  very  slight;  while  we  are  so  thor- 
oughly bound  to  the  old  man,  with  almost  all  the  fibers  of  our 
being,  that  it  seems  as  tho  he  were  still  our  very  self.  But  by  the 
operation  of  the  Holy  Spirit  we  gradually  die  to  the  old  man,  and 
at  the  same  time  the  new  man  is  quickened  in  us  more  and  more. 
And,  since  both  the  dying  of  the  old  and  the  gradual  rising  of  the 
new  man  are  profitable  to  our  person,  the  Holy  Spirit  testifies  con- 
cerning His  own  work  that  we,  God's  children,  go  from  strength 
to  strength  until  every  one  of  us  in  Zion  appeareth  before  God.  It 
refers  not  only  to  our  growing  into  the  new  man,  but  just  as  much 
to  our  gradual  deliverance  from  the  dying  old  ??ian.  In  both  it  is  the 
same  working ;  hence  both  afford  us  increase  of  strength. 

We  consider  first  the  dying  of  the  old  man  as  far  as  it  relates  to 
sanctification. 

This  dying  has  no  reference  to  our  own  activity,  alluded  to  by 
the  office  of  baptism,  "  That  we  manfully  fight  and  overcome  sin 
and  the  devil  and  all  his  dominion";  on  the  contrary,  it  refers  to 
the  fruit  of  the  cross  of  Christ.  The  question,  "  What  further  ben- 
efit do  we  receive  from  the  sacrifice  and  death  of  Christ  on  the 
cross?"  the  Reformed  Church  answers:  "That  by  virtue  thereof 
our  old  man  is  crucified,  and  buried  with  Him ;  that  so  the  corrupt 
inclinations  of  the  flesh  may  no  more  reign  in  us"  (Heidelberg 
Catechism,  q.  43).  Hence  the  dying  of  the  old  man  is  not  the  fruit 
of  our  labor;  but  Christ  accomplishes  it  in  us  by  virtue  of  His  cross 
through  the  Holy  Spirit. 

In  order  to  effect  this  in  us  the  Holy  Spirit  diverts  our  personal 
affections,  inclinations,  and  dispositions  from  the  old  man,  to  whom 
hitherto  they  have  been  ardently  attached,  so  that  now  we  begin  to 
hate  him. 

It  is  possible  for  friendship  to  die.     We  may  have  been  intimate 


THE  OLD  MAN  AND  THE  NEW     483 

with  a  person  whom  we  afterward  discovered  to  be  a  bad  character. 
Then  not  only  is  the  friendship  broken,  but  our  affection  ceases. 
We  regret  our  former  intimacy,  and  we  despise  him  all  the  more 
cordially  as  he  proves  to  be  more  deceitful  and  malicious.  And 
this  applies  to  our  relation  with  the  old  man.  Formerly  we  were 
most  intimate  with  him.  We  shared  his  will,  his  sympathies,  and 
his  affections.  We  lived  one  life  with  him.  We  felt  ourselves 
bound  to  him  by  the  tenderest  ties.  We  could  not  be  happy  but 
in  his  company.  But  there  came  a  change.  We  acquired  a  differ- 
ent taste.  We  became  acquainted  with  another  and  better  man — 
viz.,  the  new  man  in  Christ  Jesus — and  we  became  very  intimate 
with  him.  And  this  noble  intercourse  discovered  to  us  the  thorough 
baseness  and  corruption  of  the  old  man.  Then  our  love  ceased  and 
we  began  cordially  to  hate  him. 

It  is  true  that  our  former  connection  brings  us  in  frequent  con- 
tact with  him.  On  such  occasions  he  often  entices  us  by  his  cun- 
ning, but  not  to  our  delight ;  and  being  only  half  willing,  our  souls 
protest ;  and  as  soon  as  the  sin  is  committed  we  are  filled  with  self- 
loathing  and  contrition. 

And  this  reversal  of  our  affections  is  not  our  work,  but  that  of 
the  Holy  Spirit.  Not  that  we  deny  that  He  often  uses  us  as  instru- 
ments, or  prompts  us  to  exert  ourselves,  but  the  changing  of  our 
inclinations  is  not  our  work,  but  the  direct  operation  of  God  the 
Holy  Spirit. 

How  it  is  performed  we  can  understand  but  partly.  Essentially 
it  is  a  mystery,  just  as  much  as  regeneration.  Being  God,  the  Holy 
Spirit  has  access  to  our  heart.  He  discovers  our  personality,  the  na- 
ture of  our  affections,  and  in  what  way  their  action  may  be  reversed. 
But  our  inability  to  fathom  this  mystery  does  not  in  the  least  affect 
our  faith  in  the  matter. 

Since  the  dying  of  the  old  man  is  effected,  not  by  our  good 
works,  but  by  the  implanting  of  a  disposition  and  inclination  repug- 
nant to  the  old  man,  our  own  work  is  entirely  out  of  the  question ; 
for  our  own  heart  is  inaccessible  to  us.  We  have  no  power  over 
our  inwa?-d  person ;  we  lack  the  means  to  create  another  inclination ; 
and  when  we  deny  this  we  are  self-deceived.  God  the  Creator  alone 
can  do  this,  and  in  doing  it  He  is  irresistible.  Hatred  against  the  old 
man.  once  having  entered  the  soul,  is  a  power  that  simply  over- 
whelms us.     Even  when  enticed  by  him,  we  can  not  but  hate  him. 


484  SANCTIFICATION 

The  seventh  chapter  of  Romans  is  very  instructive  in  this  re- 
spect. St.  Paul  says,  "  I  delight  in  the  law  of  God  after  the  inward 
man,"  i.e.,  after  my  inward  affections.  There  is  indeed  another 
law  in  his  members,  which  brings  him  into  captivity  to  the  law  of 
sin;  but  he  has  not  the  least  love  or  sympathy  for  that  law,  but 
with  the  law  of  his  mind  wars  against  it. 

Any  other  representation  contradicts  this  positive  testimony, 
uttered  by  the  mouth  of  the  most  excellent  of  the  apostles,  under 
the  seal  of  the  Holy  Spirit.  He  that  believes  embraces  the  Son, 
and  can  not  but  receive  impressions  and  be  swayed  by  influences 
that  cause  his  affections  and  inclinations  to  become  radically 
changed.  A  believer  is  internally  wrought  upon.  All  his  former 
dealings  with  the  old  man — pride,  hardness  of  heart,  deceit,  and 
thirst  for  revenge — now  fill  him  with  horror ;  what  was  formerly  to 
him  the  pride  of  life  and  the  lust  of  the  eyes  is  now  vexation  of 
spirit,  as  he  realizes  how  shameful  and  abominable  it  is. 

So  he  gradually  dies  to  the  old  man,  until,  in  the  hour  of  death, 
he  is  fully  delivered.  God's  child  remains  the  old  man's  grave-digger 
until  the  hour  of  his  own  departure. 

Nevertheless  he  dies  to  him  so  completely  that  at  last  he  loses 
all  confidence  in  him,  thoroughly  convinced  that  he  is  without  ex- 
cuse, an  abominable  wretch,  a  reprobate,  and  a  deceiver,  capable  of 
all  evil.  And  when  occasionally  he  indulges  in  scornful  mirth  at 
the  old  man's  pride  and  practises,  it  is  not  in  boastfulness  of  his 
own  work  or  of  his  fellow  men,  but  glorying  only  in  the  gracious 
work  of  his  God. 


XIII. 
The  Work  of  God  in  Our  Work. 

"  And  the  very  God  of  peace  sanctify  you 
wholly  ;  and  I  pray  God  your  whole 
spirit  and  soul  and  body  be  preserved 
blameless  unto  the  coming  of  the  Lord 
Jesus  Christ." — i  Thess.  v.  23. 

The  difference  between  sanctification  and  good  works  should  be 
well  understood. 

Many  confound  the  two,  and  believe  that  sanctification  means  to  i 
lead  an  honorable  and  virtuous  life ;  and,  since  this  is  equal  to  good  1 
works,  sanctification,  without  which  no  man  shall  see  God,  is  made  \ 
to  consist  in  the  earnest  and  diligent  effort  to  do  good  works. 

But  this  reasoning  is  false.    The  grape  should  not  be  confounded 
with  the  vine,  lightning  with  thunder,  the  birth  with  the  conception, 
any  more  than  sanctification  with  good  works.     Sanctification  is 
the  kernel  from  which  the  blade  and  full  ear  of  good  works  shall      . 
spring ;  but  this  does  not  identify  the  kernel  with  the  blade.     The      \ 
former  lies  in  the  ground  and  by  its  fibers  attaches  itself  to  the  fur-       \ 
row  internally.     The  latter  shoots  from  the  ground  externally  and       | 
visibly.     So  is  sanctification  the  implanting  of  the  germ,  of  the  dis-       1 
position,  and  inclination  which  shall  produce  the  blossom  and  fruit       •; 
of  a  good  work. 

Sanctification  is  God' s  work  in  us,  whereby  He  imparts  to  our 
members  a  holy  disposition,  inwardly  filling  us  with  delight  in  His 
law  and  with  repugnance  to  sin.  But  good  works  are  acts  of  7nan, 
which  spring  from  this  holy  disposition.  Hence  sanctification  is 
the  source  of  good  works,  the  lamp  that  shall  shine  with  their  light, 
the  capital  of  which  they  are  the  interest. 

Allow  us  to  repeat  it :  "  sanctification  "  is  a  work  of  God ;  "  good 
works "  are  of   men.      "  Sanctification "    works    internally ;    "  good 
works  "  are  external.     "  Sanctification  "  imparts  something  to  man ;      | 
"  good  works  "  take  something  out  of  him.     "  Sanctification  "  forces      | 


486  SANCTIFICATION 

the  root  into  the  ground;  to  do  "good  works"  forces  the  fruit  out 
of  the  fruitful  tree.     To  confound  these  two  leads  the  people  astray. 

The  Pietist  says:  "  Sanctification  is  man's  work;  it  can  not  be 
insisted  upon  with  sufficient  emphasis.  It  is  our  best  effort  to  be 
godly."  And  the  Mystic  maintains:  "We  can  not  do  good  works, 
and  may  not  insist  upon  them ;  for  man  is  unable ;  God  alone  works 
them  in  him  independently  of  him." 

Of  course,  both  are  equally  wrong  and  unscriptural.  The  former, 
in  reducing  sanctification  to  good  works,  takes  it  out  of  God's  hand 
and  lays  it  upon  man,  who  never  can  perform  it;  and  the  latter, 
in  making  good  works  take  the  place  of  sanctification,  releases 
man  from  the  task  laid  on  him  and  claims  that  God  will  perform 
it.     Both  errors  must  be  opposed. 

Both  sanctification  and  good  works  should  receive  recognition. 
Ministers  of  the  Word,  and  through  them  the  people  of  God,  should 
understand  that  sanctification  is  an  act  of  God  that  He  performs  in 
man ;  and  that  God  has  commanded  7nan  to  do  good  works  to  the 
glory  of  His  name.  And  this  will  have  twofold  effect:  (i)  God's 
people  will  acknowledge  their  complete  inability  to  receive  a  holy 
disposition  otherwise  than  as  a  gift  of  free  grace,  and  then  they  will 
earnestly  pray  for  this  grace.  (2)  They  will  pray  that  His  elect, 
in  whom  this  work  is  already  wrought,  may  show  it  forth  in  God- 
glorifying  works :  "  Chosen  in  Christ  Jesus,  that  we  should  be  holy 
and  without  blame  before  Him  in  love  "  (Ephes.  i.  4). 

Tho  this  distinction  is  very  clear,  two  things  may  cause  con- 
fusion : 

First,  the  fact  that  holiness  may  be  attributed  to  the  good 
works  themselves.  One  may  be  holy,  but  also  do  holy  works.  The 
Confession  speaks  of  the  "  many  holy  works  which  Christ  has  done 
for  us  and  in  our  stead"  (art.  22).  Hence  holiness  maybe  exter- 
nal and  internal. 

The  following  passages  refer,  not  to  sanctification,  but  to  good 
works  :  "  Seeing  that  all  these  things  shall  be  dissolved,  what  man- 
ner of  persons  ought  ye  to  be  in  all  holy  conversation?"  (2  Peter  iii. 
II).  "  As  He  which  hath  called  you  is  holy,  so  be  you  holy  in  all 
manner  of  conversation"  (i  Peter  i,  15).  "  That  we  being  delivered 
out  of  the  hands  of  our  enemies,  may  serve  Him  without  fear,  in 
holiness  and  righteousness  all  the  days  of  our  life"  (Luke  i.  75). 

We  find  that  the  word  "  holy  "  is  used  of  both  our  inward  dispo- 


THE  WORK  OF  GOD  IN  OUR  WORK   487 

sition  and  of  its  result,  the  outward  life.  It  may  be  said  of  the  spring 
as  well  as  of  the  water,  that  it  contains  iron ;  of  the  tree  as  well  as 
of  the  fruit,  that  it  is  good ;  of  the  candle  as  well  as  of  the  light, 
that  it  is  bright.  And,  since  holiness  may  be  attributed  to  both  the 
inward  disposition  and  the  outward  life,  sanctification  may  be 
understood  as  referring  to  the  sanctification  of  our  life.  This  may 
lead  to  the  supposition  that  an  outwardly  blameless  life  is  the  same 
thing  as  sanctification.  And  if  this  is  so,  then  sanctification  is  but 
a  duty  imposed,  and  not  a  gift  imparted.  It  should  therefore  be  care- 
fully noticed  that  the  sanctification  of  the  mind,  affections,  and  dis- 
positions is  not  our  work,  but  God' s ;  and  that  the  holy  life  which 
springs  from  it  is  ours. 

Second,  the  other  cause  of  confusion  is  the  many  Scripture  pas- 
sages that  exhort  and  encourage  us  to  sanctify,  purify,  and  perfect 
our  lives,  yea,  even  "  to  perfect  our  holiness"  (2  Cor.  vii.  i);  to 
"yield  ourselves  as  servants  to  holiness"  (Rom.  vi.  19);  and  to  be 
"unblamable  in  holiness"  (i  Thess.  iii.  13),  etc. 

And  we  should  not  weaken  these  passages,  as  the  Mystics  do, 
who  say  that  these  texts  mean,  not  that  we  should  yield  our  mem- 
bers, but  that  God  Himself  will  take  special  care  that  they  be  so 
yielded.  These  are  tricks  that  lead  men  to  trifle  with  the  Word. 
It  is  an  abuse  of  the  Scripture  for  the  sake  of  introducing  one's 
own  theories  under  the  cover  of  divine  authority.  The  preachers 
who  for  fear  of  imposing  responsibilities  upon  men  abstain  from 
exhortation,  and  dull  the  edge  of  the  divine  comtnatidments  by  repre- 
senting them  as  promises,  take  a  heavy  responsibility  upon  them- 
selves. 

For  altho  we  know  that  no  man  has  ever  performed  a  single 
good  work  without  God,  who  wrought  in  him  both  to  will  and  to 
do ;  altho  we  heartily  agree  with  the  Confession,  "  That  we  are 
beholden  to  God  for  our  good  works  and  not  God  to  us  "  (art.  24) ; 
and  rejoice  with  the  holy  apostle  in  the  fact,  "  That  God  has  be- 
fore ordained  the  good  works  that  we  should  walk  therein " ;  yet 
this  does  not  absolve  us  from  the  duty  of  exhorting  the  brethren. 

It  is  a  fact  that  God  is  pleased  to  use  man  as  an  instrument, 
and  by  the  spur  of  his  own  ability  and  responsibility  to  incite  him 
to  activity.  A  cavalryman  on  the  battle-field  is  fully  aware  how 
much  he  depends  upon  the  good  services  of  his  horse;  and  also  that 
the  animal  can  not  run  unless  God  enabled  it.  Being  a  godly  man, 
he  prays  before  mounting  that  the  Lord  enable  his  horse  to  bring 


488  SANCTIFICATION 

him  victory ;  but  after  he  is  mounted,  with  spur  and  knee,  rein  and 
voice,  he  uses  all  his  strength  to  make  the  horse  do  what  it  should 
do.  And  the  same  is  true  of  sanctification.  Unless  the  breath  of 
the  Lord  blow  through  the  garden  of  the  soul,  not  a  leaf  can  stir. 
The  Lord  alone  performs  the  work  from  the  beginning  to  the  end. 
But  He  performs  it  partly  by  the  aid  of  means;  and  the  instrument 
chosen  is  often  man  himself,  who  cooperates  with  God.  And  to 
this  human  instrumentality  the  Scripture  refers  when,  in  connec- 
tion with  sanctification,  it  admonishes  us  to  good  works. 

As  in  nature  God  gives  the  seed  and  the  forces  in  the  soil  and 
rain  and  sunshine  to  mature  the  fruit  of  the  earth,  while  at  the 
same  time  He  uses  the  farmer  to  perfect  His  work,  so  it  is  also  in 
sanctification :  God  causes  it  to  work  effectually ;  but  He  employs 
the  human  instrument  to  cooperate  with  Him,  as  the  saw  works 
together  with  him  that  handles  it. 

However,  this  should  not  be  understood  as  tho  in  sanctification 
God  had  made  Himself  absolutely  dependent  upon  the  human  in- 
strument. This  is  impossible ;  by  nature  man  can  indeed  mar  sanc- 
tification, but  new&v  further  it.  By  nature  he  hates  and  opposes  it. 
Moreover,  he  is  absolutely  unable  to  produce  from  his  own  corrupt 
nature  anything  for  his  growth  in  sanctification.  His  instrumental 
cooperation  should  therefore  not  be  abused  either  by  ascribing  to 
man  a  power  for  good,  or  to  obscure  the  work  of  God. 

Careful  discrimination  is  necessary.  He  that  implants  the  holy 
disposition  is  the  Lord.  The  combined  exertions  of  all  these  in- 
struments could  not  implant  one  single  feature  of  the  holy  mind, 
any  more  than  all  the  carpenter's  tools  together  could  draw  the 
molding  of  one  panel.  The  artist  paints  upon  the  canvas;  but 
with  all  their  exertions  his  palette,  brush,  and  paint-box  could  never 
draw  a  single  figure.  The  sculptor  molds  the  image ;  but  of  them- 
selves his  chisel,  mallet,  and  stool  can  not  detach  a  single  chip  from 
the  rough  marble.  To  engrave  the  features  of  holiness  in  the  sin- 
ner is  a  work  in  the  highest  sense  artistic,  unspeakably  divine. 
And  the  Artist  who  executes  it  is  the  Lord,  as  St.  Paul  calls  Him, 
the  Artist  and  Architect  of  the  City  which  has  foundations.  The 
fact  that  the  Lord  is  pleased  to  use  instruments  for  some  parts  of 
the  work  does  not  impart  to  them  any  value,  much  less  any  ability 
to  accomplish  anything  of  themselves  without  the  Artist.  He  is 
the  only  Worker. 


THE   WORK    OF   GOD    IN    OUR    WORK       489 

But  as  Artist  He  uses  three  different  instruments,  viz. ,  the  Word, 
His  providential  dealing Sy  and  the  regenerate  person  himselj. 

1.  The  Word  is  a  vital  power  in  the  Church  which  pierces  even 
to  the  dividing  asunder  of  the  joints  and  the  marrow,  and  as  such 
it  is  a  divinely  ordained  instrument  to  create  impressions  in  a  man ; 
and  these  impressions  are  the  means  by  which  holy  inclinations  are 
implanted  in  his  heart. 

2.  Lije  s  experiences  also  make  impressions  in  us  more  or  less 
lasting ;  and  these  God  uses  also  to  create  holy  dispositions. 

3.  The  third  instrument  refers  to  the  effect  of  habit.  Repeated 
sinful  acts  make  the  sinner  bold  and  create  sinful  habits ;  in  this 
way  he  cooperates  to  make  himself  a  greater  sinner.  In  a  similar 
sense  the  saint  cooperates  in  his  own  salvation  by  allowing  the 
holy  disposition  to  radiate  in  good  works.  The  frequent  act  of 
doing  good  creates  the  habit.  The  habit  gradually  becomes  a  sec- 
ond nature.  And  it  is  this  mighty  influence  of  habit  which  God 
uses  to  teach  us  holiness.  In  this  way  God  can  make  one  saint  in- 
strumental in  the  sanctification  of  another. 

An  architect  builds  a  palace  which  makes  him  famous  as  an 
artist.  It  is  true  the  contractor,  an  important  person  in  his  place, 
erects  the  structure ;  but  his  name  is  scarcely  mentioned,  it  is  the 
architect  alone  for  whom  all  the  praise  is  reserved.  In  sanctifica- 
tion it  is  not  the  Word  by  itself  that  is  effectual,  but  that  Word 
handled  by  the  Holy  Spirit.  Neither  is  it  the  experience  of  life 
alone,  but  that  experience  employed  by  the  Holy  Artist.  Neither 
is  it  the  regenerate  person  who  serves  as  foreman,  but  the  glorious, 
Triune  God,  in  whose  service  he  labors. 


XIV. 
The  Person  Sanctified. 

"The  putting  off  of  the  body  of  the  sins 
of  the  flesh." — Col.  ii.  ii. 

Sanctification  embraces  the  whole  man.  body  and  soul,  with 
all  the  parts,  members,  and  functions  that  belong  to  each  respec- 
tively. It  embraces  his  person  and  all  of  his  person.  This  is  why 
sanctification  progresses  from  the  hour  of  regeneration  all  through 
life,  and  can  be  completed  only  in  and  through  death. 

St.  Paul  prays  for  the  church  of  Thessalonica:  "The  God  of 
peace  sanctify  you  tvholly,  and  may  your  whole  spirit  and  soul  and 
body  be  preserved  blameless  unto  the  coming  of  our  Lord  Jesus 
Christ."  Sanctification  is  essentially  a  work  of  one  piece,  simply 
because  our  person  is  not  pieced  together,  but  is  organically  one 
in  all  its  parts. 

The  sinner's  holiness  or  unholiness  embraces  his  whole  being. 
He  is  a  sinner  not  only  in  his  body,  but  in  his  soul,  and  even  more  so; 
and  in  his  soul  not  only  because  his  will  is  unholy,  but  also  because 
his  understanding  is  unholy,  and  even  more  so.  The  memory,  the 
imagination,  and  all  that  belongs  to  him  as  a  man  are  radically  de- 
filed, desecrated,  and  corrupted  by  sin.  He  lies  in  the  midst  of 
death.  Even  in  a  small  child,  every  part  is  affected.  Without 
the  least  exertion  he  learns  a  street-song,  while  it  seems  almost 
impossible  to  commit  one  stanza  of  a  psalm. 

If  sanctification  has  reference  to  the  inherited  stain,  as  justifica- 
tion to  the  inherited  guilt,  it  follows  that  sanctification  must  ex- 
tend as  far  as  the  inherited  stain.  If  man's  entire  person  is  cov- 
ered with  the  poison  of  the  stain,  it  must  be  covered  much  more 
abundantly  by  sanctification. 

Sin  is  disturbance,  derangement,  discord,  and  warfare  in  home 
and  heart,  and  is  not  overcome  completely  until  superseded  by  holy 
peace.  This  is  the  reason  why  St.  Paul  calls  the  God  of  sanctifica- 
tion the  God  of  peace ;  and  so  he  prays  for  the  Church  that  the  God 


THE   PERSON    SANCTIFIED  491 

of  peace  sanctify  them  zvholly,  or  literally,  "  unto  the  full  end"  so 
that  the  end  of  sanctification  may  be  accomplished  in  them  per. 
fectly.* 

However,  the  starting-point  of  this  grace  lies  not  in  the  body, 
but  in  the  soul.  Sin  started  in  the  soul,  not  in  the  body ;  hence 
the  mortification  of  sin  must  also  begin  in  the  soul. 

It  is  directed,  first  of  all,  to  the  consciousness  and  to  its  faculties 
of  cogfnition,  contemplation,  reflection,  and  judgment.  Sanctifica- 
tion proceeds,  not  from  the  will,  but  from  the  consciousness. 
Sanctification  is  to  make  conformable  to  the  will  of  God,  and  this 
requires,  in  the  first  place,  that  His  good  and  perfect  and  acceptable 
will  become  a  living  reality  to  the  consciousness,  conviction,  and 
conscience.  The  things  of  which  one  is  ignorant  do  not  affect  him ; 
but  ignorance  of  the  divine  will  is  sin,  and  this  must  be  overcome 
first  of  all. 

But  how?  By  committing  to  memory?  By  learning  the  Cate- 
chism? By  no  means.  The  sanctification  of  the  consciousness 
consists  in  God's  act  of  writing  His  law  in  our  hearts.  True,  there 
are  still  a  few  traces  of  that  law  written  in  the  sinner's  heart,  as 
the  apostle  writes  that  the  Gentiles  who  are  without  the  law  are  a 
law  unto  themselves;  but  this  is  at  the  most  but  the  fermentation 
of  a  higher  principle  in  a  sinful  person  which  can  not  maintain  it- 
self. The  Nihilist  and  Communist  of  the  day  show  to  what  extent 
the  heart  may  lose  the  sense  of  the  first  principles  of  right  and 
righteousness.  But  when  the  Scripture  promises  that  the  Lord 
shall  write  the  law  in  their  hearts,  and  that  they  shall  teach  no 
more  every  man  his  neighbor,  saying,  "  Know  the  Lord,  for  all 

*This  is  not  the  place  to  discuss  the  opinion  held  by  many,  that  i 
Thess.  v.  23  teaches  trichotomy,  i.e.,  the  threefold  division  of  man's  being. 
Let  this  only  be  observed,  that  it  does  not  read,  " 6?.6fiopovg,"  "in  all  your 
parts,"  followed  by  the  summing  up  of  those  parts,  spirit,  soul,  and  body; 
but  that  it  reads  "  6/loreP.eZf , "  which  refers,  not  to  the  parts,  but  to  the 
final  end,  ''-iloq."  Moreover,  it  should  be  noticed  that  in  those  passages 
which  oppose  the  spiritual  man  to  the  natural — i.e.,  the  pneumatical  to 
the  psychical,  as  in  i  Cor.  ii.  14,  15 — the  word  "nvev/xa"  indicates  the  new 
life-principle,  of  which  it  never  can  be  said  that  it  be  preserved  blame- 
less. For  this  " nv£v/ia"  is  sinless  dy  nature.  Calvin  explains  "spirit" 
and  "soul  "  by  making  them  to  refer  to  our  rational  and  moral  existence 
as  beings  endowed  with  reason  and  volition,  both  modes  of  the  soul's 
existence. 


492  SANCTIFICATION 

shall  know  him  from  the  least  unto  the  greatest,"  it  offers  us  some- 
thing entirely  different  and  far  more  glorious.  And  this  is  accom- 
plished, not  by  outward  study,  but  by  inward  apprehension ;  not  by 
an  exercise  of  the  memory,  but  by  a  renewing  of  the  mind,  as  St. 
Paul  writes :  "  Be  not  conformed  to  this  world,  but  be  ye  trans- 
formed by  the  renewing  of  your  mind,  that  ye  may  prove  what  is 
that  good  and  acceptable  and  perfect  will  of  God." 

Ezekiel  prophesied  of  this  renewing  of  the  mind  when  he  said: 
"  A  new  heart  also  will  I  give  you,  and  a  7iew  spirit  will  I  put  within 
you."  Instruction  formerly  received  may  be  used  as  a  means  to  that 
end;  but  the  instruction  which  the  human  spirit  receives  in  sanc- 
tification  is  not  human,  but  divine.  Hence  it  is  said:  "They  are 
taught  of  the  Lord";  "  Every  man,  therefore,  that  hath  heard  and 
learned  of  the  Father  cometh  unto  Me";  "  I  will  put  My  law  into 
their  minds,  and  will  write  it  in  their  hearts." 

Since  the  books  of  Moses  emphasize  the  fact  that  the  tables  of 
the  law  were  written,  not  by  Moses,  Aholiab,  nor  Bezaliel,  but  di- 
rectly by  God's  own  finger,  it  follows  from  the  nature  of  the  case 
that  the  Scripture  intends  to  present  this  writing  upon  the  tables 
of  the  heart,  not  as  the  work  of  man,  but  as  the  direct  work  of 
God.  The  sanctification  of  the  human  consciousness  is  wrought 
in  us  by  God  in  a  divine,  unfathomable,  and  irresistible  way;  but 
not  independently  of  the  Word,  for  that  Word  itself  is  divine,  and 
the  preaching  of  the  Word  is  divinely  ordained  and  instituted. 
But,  since  the  Word  and  the  preaching  can  only  present  the  matter 
to  the  consciousness,  it  is  the  Holy  Ghost  who  makes  the  heart  to 
understand  it,  declares  it  to  the  consciousness,  works  conviction, 
and  causes  the  consciousness  to  assent  to  it,  and  thus  enables  it  to 
feel  the  pressure  which  proceeds  from  that  which  is  written  on  the 
heart. 

Hence  the  sanctification  of  the  consciousness  consists,  not 
only  in  receiving  new  knowledge,  and  in  being  impressed  with 
quickened  conceptions,  but  also  in  having  the  reason  qualified  for 
the  exercise  of  entirely  different  functions.  For  the  natural  man 
does  not  understand  the  things  of  the  Spirit  of  God;  but  the  spiri- 
tual man,  i.e.,  he  whose  consciousness  is  regenerated,  sanctified. 
and  enlightened  discerns  all  things ;  for  such  a  man,  says  St.  Paul, 
has  the  mind  of  Christ. 

However,  the  sanctification  of  our  consciousness  does  not  com- 


THE   PERSON    SANCTIFIED  493 

plete  the  sanctification  of  our  person.  On  the  contrary,  for  altho 
the  will  is  absolutely  dependent  upon  the  consciousness,  yet  even 
the  will  itself  is  corrupted  by  sin.  It  did  not  lose  its  functional 
operation ;  but,  as  in  the  sinner  the  judgment  still  judges  and  the 
feeling  still  feels,  so  is  the  will  still  able  to  will.  But  its  ability  to 
reach  out  in  every  direction  is  lost ;  and  the  calamity  has  befallen 
us  that  by  nature  we  can  not  will  what  God  wills. 

And  that  stiffness  and  hardness  which  prevent  the  will's  free 
action  in  this  respect  must  be  removed.  The  Scripture  calls  this 
the  taking  away  of  the  stony  heart  and  the  giving  of  a  heart  of 
flesh  which  is  no  longer  hard  and  insensible.  Where  sin  had  bound 
the  will  by  inclining  it  to  evil,  thereby  depriving  it  of  the  power 
of  bending  in  the  opposite  direction,  i.e.,  toward  God,  the  gracious 
gift  of  sanctification  now  comes  to  relieve  that  bending  over  to  hell, 
and  to  give  it  power  to  incline  to  God. 

Formerly  our  knowledge  and  conviction  of  the  oughtness  of 
things  did  not  avail ;  for  they  left  our  will  powerless  as  a  chained 
wheel,  unable  to  turn  in  the  right  direction.  But  not  only  had  the 
consciousness  a  better  idea  of  and  clearer  insight  into  the  oughtness 
of  things,  and  we  had  assented  to  it,  but  the  will  was  also  inclined 
by  correct  volition  to  choose  the  good ;  then  the  work  of  God  had 
attained  its  end,  had  accomplished  its  purpose,  and  had  changed 
the  whole  man. 

And  thus  man  regains  also  control  over  his  passions.  Every 
man  has  passions  and  propensities  which  sin  has  made  unruly  and 
uncontrollable.  In  fact,  man  is  their  toy ;  they  can  use  him  as  they 
please.  It  is  true  the  unconverted  sometimes  succeed  in  curbing 
and  muzzling  one  passion,  but  always  by  becoming  more  hopelessly 
the  slaves  of  another.  Dissipation  is  conquered  only  by  the  excite- 
ment of  avarice ;  sensuality  by  cherishing  inward  pride ;  anger  by 
nursing  the  thirst  for  revenge.  Kamosh  is  cast  out  only  to  make 
room  for  Molech ;  the  north  wind  conjured  away  only  to  be  followed 
by  a  blast  from  the  east. 

But  the  passions  of  the  saint  are  controlled  in  a  different  way. 
Sanctification  gives  them  another  direction.  He  feels  their  whip 
and  spur,  but  they  are  to  him  the  violence  of  a  foreign  power. 
Wherefore  St.  Paul  declares :  "  It  is  no  more  I  that  do  it,  but  sin 
that  dwelleth  in  me."  And  no  passion  can  overtake  him  which  in 
the  power  of  God  he  can  not  master  and  control. 


494  SANCTIFICATION 

Sanctification  embraces,  in  the  second  place,  the  body.  Both 
sin  and  holiness  affect  the  body  not  as  tho  it  were  the  seat  of  sin, 
which  is  Manichean  heresy,  but  in  the  sense  in  which  Scripture 
disapproves  the  act  of  touching  a  corpse.  The  body  is  the  instru- 
ment of  the  soul ;  hence  the  members  may  be  used  for  holy  or  un- 
holy purposes,  and  offer  either  their  cooperation  or  resistance  for 
such  purposes.  Who  does  not  know  that  an  excess  of  blood  in- 
flames the  ugly  temper  and  excites  to  anger ;  that  irritable  nerves 
make  one  impatient ;  and  great  muscular  energy  tempts  to  reckless- 
ness? Many  are  the  connections  between  the  operations  of  body  and 
soul ;  and,  inasmuch  as  the  Holy  Spirit  brings  the  bodily  members 
into  subjection  to  the  reign  of  the  new  life,  sanctification  does  in- 
deed affect  the  life  of  the  body.  This  appears  from  the  fact  that 
the  body  is  called  the  temple  of  the  Holy  Spirit.  St.  Paul  calls  it 
"the  putting  off  of  the  body  of  sin  of  the  flesh"  (Col.  ii.  ii);  and 
again  he  saith :  "  Let  not  sin  reign  in  your  mortal  body,  that  ye 
should  obey  the  lusts  thereof"  (Rom.  vi.  12). 

Hence  the  old  man  is  just  as  bad  and  becomes  even  worse;  but 
there  is  at  the  same  time  a  gradual  weakening — and  thus  dies  to  his 
evil  lusts,  while  the  new  man  continues  not  only  holy  and  intact, 
but  gradually  masters  us  and  enables  us  to  present  our  bodies  a 
living  sacrifice,  holy  and  well-pleasing  to  God,  which  is  our  reason- 
able service  (Rom.  xii.  i). 

All  this  is  wrought  by  the  Holy  Spirit  who  dwells  in  our  hearts, 
the  Comforter,  Guide,  and  Teacher  of  the  desolate.  Christ  is  far 
from  us  in  heaven  sitting  at  the  right  hand  of  God.  But  the  Holy 
Spirit  is  poured  forth.  He  dwells  in  the  Church  on  earth.  He 
abides  with  us  as  our  Comforter. 

Hence  we  should  not  imagine  that  we  are  a  full-rigged,  well- 
provisioned  craft  which,  at  its  own  risk  and  without  a  pilot,  swiftly 
carries  us  to  the  haven  of  rest ;  for  without  wind  and  tide  we  can 
not  move  our  craft  at  all.  The  heart  of  the  saint  is  a  Bethel ;  when 
he  rises  from  blessed  dreams  he  is  ever  surprised  to  find  that  God 
is  in  this  place  and  he  knew  it  not.  When  we  are  called  to  speak, 
act,  or  fight,  we  do  so  as  tho  we  were  doing  it  all  ourselves,  not 
perceiving  that  it  is  Another  who  works  in  us  both  to  will  and  to 
do.  But  as  soon  as  we  have  finished  the  task  successfully  and 
agreeably  to  the  will  of  God,  as  men  of  faith  we  prostrate  ourselves 
before  Him  and  cry,  "  Lord,  the  work  was  Thine." 

And  this  goes  against  the  old  man.     Before  the  work  is  under- 


THE   PERSON    SANCTIFIED  495 

taken  he  is  fearful  and  ill  at  ease ;  but  as  soon  as  it  is  firisLad  he  is 
full  of  boasting,  and  the  incense  of  human  praise  is  sweet  in  his 
nostrils.  But  God's  child  works  in  simplicity  and  spontaneously; 
brings  the  sacrifice  of  his  labor  hoping  against  hope,  with  all  the 
exertion  of  the  talent  which  God  gave  him.  But  the  labor  finished, 
he  wonders  how  he  ever  accomplished  it,  and  he  finds  the  only  solu- 
tion in  the  fact  that  there  is  One  who  powerfully  wrought  in  and 
through  him. 


XV. 
Good  Works. 

"  For  we  are  His  workmanship,  created 
in  Christ  Jesus  unto  good  works, 
which  God  hath  before  ordained 
that  we  should  walk  in  them." — 
Ephes.  ii.  lo. 

Good  works  are  the  ripe  fruit  from  the  tree  which  God  has  planted 
in  sanctificatio7i. 

In  the  saint  there  is  life ;  from  that  life  workings  proceed ;  and 
those  workings  are  either  good  or  evil.  Hence  good  works  are  not 
added  to  sanctification  for  mere  effect,  but  belong  to  it.  The  discus- 
sion of  sanctification  is  not  complete  without  the  discussion  of  Good 
Works. 

Whatever  man  may  be,  works  always  proceed  from  him ;  and 
since  works  are  never  neutral,  but  either  conform  or  do  not  conform 
to  the  divine  law,  it  follows  that  every  man's  works  are  either  good 
or  evil,  actual  sins  {peccata  actualia)  or  good  works.  In  fact,  every 
life  has  its  own  energizing.  Without  it  it  is  no  life.  Properly 
speaking,  life  in  the  saint  does  not  proceed  from  sanctification,  but 
sanctification  lends  it  tone,  color,  and  character. 

In  a  garden  where  the  conditions  are  all  equal,  and  there  is  the 
same  soil,  the  same  fertilizer,  etc.,  different  fruit-trees  are  planted. 
Evidently,  the  working  that  makes  the  trees  grow  is  from  the  soil ; 
for  if  planted  in  the  garret,  they  will  not  grow.  But  the  cause  that 
produces  peaches  on  one  tree  and  grapes  on  another  is  not  in  the 
soil,  but  in  the  trees.  Hence  we  must  distinguish  the  working  itself 
from  the  shade,  the  tone,  the  character,  the  peculiar  property  which 
that  working  assumes.  The  wind  that  produces  sweetest  music  from 
the  Eolian  harp,  by  blowing  through  a  broken  window-pane  pro- 
duces doleful  sounds.  It  is  one  operation  but  different  effects.  In 
the  meadow  next  to  the  tender  clover  grows  the  poisonous  wolf's- 
milk.  Yet  both  lift  their  little  heads  from  the  same  soil  and  drink 
in  the  same  air,  sunlight,  and  rain.     Altho  the  vital  energy  is  the 


GOOD   WORKS  497 

same,  the  difference  in  the  seeds  causes  differences  in  the  plants, 
and  opposite  effects. 

The  same  applies  to  the  garden  of  the  soul,  where  the  human 
life  is  in  full  activity.  But  that  same  human  life  produces  a  base 
act  to-day  and  a  heroic  act  to-morrow.  There  is  but  one  working, 
but  the  colors  vary,  it  may  be  white  or  black,  dark  or  light. 

And  this  we  find,  that  in  the  garden  of  the  soul  all  spontaneous 
growth  is  a  growth  of  weeds  ;  while  the  seed  which  God  has  planted 
produces  precious />■«/'/.  The  effects  of  sanctification  are  evident. 
It  causes  sweet  waters  to  flow  from  a  bitter  fountain.  It  lends  to 
every  operation  its  own  quality  and  property,  and  gives  it  a  direc- 
tion which  works  for  good.  And  thus  good  works  proceed  from  the 
man  lost  in  himself. 

Of  course,  in  the  root,  this  apparently  identical  working  is  two- 
fold. One  springs  from  the  old  nature,  the  other  from  the  new ; 
the  one  from  the  natural,  the  other  from  the  supernatural.  But 
since  this  distinction  was  discussed  at  large  in  the  chapter  on  Re- 
generation, we  treat  it  now  simply  from  the  utiity  of  the  person. 

Altho  we  heartily  agree  with  the  Confession,  "  That  a  regener- 
ated person  has  in  him  a  twofold  life  :  the  one  temporal  scadi  corporeal, 
that  which  he  has  from  the  first  birth  and  is  common  to  all  men ; 
the  other  spiritual  and  heavenly,  which  is  given  him  in  the  second 
birth,  and  which  is  peculiar  to  God's  elect"  (art.  35) ;  yet  this  does 
not  affect  the  unity  of  the  person,  nor  does  it  alter  the  fact  that  the 
operations  of  both  the  old  and  the  new  life  are  my  operations.  If 
I  divide  my  person,  and  take  the  natural  and  the  supernatural  each 
by  itself,  then  there  is  no  sanctification  at  all ;  for  the  corrupt  life 
of  my  old  nature  is  not  sanctified,  but  crucified,  dead,  and  buried ; 
and  my  heavenly,  spiritual,  and  regenerated  life  can  not  be  sanc- 
tified inasmuch  as  it  never  was  sinful  nor  ever  can  be.  Hence  in 
sanctification  we  have  to  consider  life  from  the  viewpoint  of  the 
unity  and  indivisibility  of  the  person.  The  man  who  was  first  wedded 
to  the  corrupt  nature,  and  who  is  now  wedded  to  the  new  man,  was 
then  evil  and  is  now  to  become  good ;  wherefore  his  life  must  re- 
ceive the  holy  desire,  inclination,  and  disposition.  And  then  only 
it  is  possible  for  it  to  produce  good  works. 

A  work  is  good  when  it  is  conformable  to  the  divine  law. 
I.  The  first  point  is  that  God  alone  possesses  the  right  to  deter- 
mine what  is  good  or  evil. 
32 


498  SANCTIFICATION 

Man  also  can  acquire  this  discernment,  but  only  by  being  taught 
of  God.  But  as  soon  as  he  presumes  himself  to  determine  the  dif- 
ference between  good  and  evil,  He  violates  the  divine  majesty  and 
God's  inalienable  right  to  be  God.  Not  one  man,  nor  many  men, 
nor  all  men  and  angels  together  may  do  this.  It  does  not  belong 
to  them.  It  is  the  eternal  prerogative  of  the  Almighty  Creator  of 
heaven  and  earth.  He  alone  determines  good  and  evil,  for  every 
creature,  for  time  and  eternity. 

That  which  He  detfiands  of  each  life  shall  be  the  law  of  that  life,  of 
all  that  belongs  to  it,  and  under  all  circumstances ;  a  law  in  which 
all  the  divine  ordinances  are  comprehended.  His  law,  tho  its  prin- 
ciples are  briefly  comprehended  in  the  Ten  Commandments,  rises 
from  these  ten  stems  in  branches  and  boughs  broad  and  dense,  and 
forms  in  its  completeness  one  immeasurable  roof  of  leaves  which 
overshadows  the  entire  human  family  in  all  its  variegations. 

Hence  there  is  not  the  remotest  chance  here  to  compromise. 
God's  will  and  law  are  absolute ;  rule  over  all ;  are  binding  in  every 
domain,  and  can  never  be  repealed.  And  where,  in  the  delicate 
works  of  a  watch,  the  thousandth  part  of  a  millimeter  is  allowed 
to  a  wheel  for  variation,  in  the  divine  law  such  play  is  unthinkable. 
The  law  of  God  brooks  not  even  the  deviation  of  a  hair's  breadth, 
nor  of  any  infinitesimal  fraction  thereof. 

Hence  a  good  work  does  not  signify  a  work  merely  not  evil ; 
nor  a  work  containing  some  good,  or  simply  passable ;  nor  a  work 
whose  good  intention  is  evident.  But  a  good  work  is  nothing  else 
and  nothing  less  than  a  good  work.  And  it  is  not  good  unless  it 
is  absolutely  good,  i.e.,  in  all  its  parts  equally  conformable  to 
the  divine  will  and  law.  A  peach  is  not  half  a  pear  and  half  a 
grape,  but  absolutely  a  peach ;  so  a  good  work  is  not  merely  pass- 
able, partly  well  intentioned,  but  absolutely  conformable  to  what 
God  has  determined  to  be  good  with  regard  to  that  work. 

it  is  readily  seen  that  unless  sanctification  were  adapted  to 
enable  man  to  perform  such  a  work,  he  would  never  accomplish 
it.  As  it  is  the  peculiar  habit  of  a  peach-tree,  through  its  ascend- 
ing life,  to  impart  to  the  fruit  the  flavor  of  the  peach,  and  of  the 
grape-vine  to  give  to  its  fruit  the  flavor  of  the  grape,  so  it  is  the 
peculiar  quality  of  the  soul  sanctified  in  principle  to  impart  to  its 
fruit  the  flavor  of  the  laiv.  Sanctification  does  not  merely  inspire 
the  soul  with  a  desire  for  something  higher,  but  it  imparts  to  it 


GOOD   WORKS  499 

such  a  disposition,  tone,  shade,  flavor,  and  character  that  it  yields 
to  the  divine  law.  And  the  law  puts  its  impress  upon  the  soul. 
The  soul's  aspiration  is  no  more  a  vague  ideal,  but  it  has  a  positive 
pleasure  in  and  a  desire  and  love  for  all  the  commandments  of  God. 
And,  since  sanctification  engrafts  the  law  upon  the  soul,  it  is  pos- 
sible that  the  working  which  follows  should  be  conformable  to  the 
law. 

We  say  "  possible,"  for  from  his  own  sad  experience  God's 
child  knows  that  it  is  possible  to  be  otherwise,  and  that  many  sum- 
mers come  and  go  without  reaping  from  his  branches  any  notice- 
able harvest  for  the  glory  of  God. 

2.  This  brings  us  to  the  second  J>oini.  A  good  7vork  must  be  of 
faith. 

Sanctification  itself  is  not  of  faith.  It  has  nothing  to  do  with 
faith.  It  is  wrought  by  God  Himself.  What  could  faith  then  ac- 
complish in  this  respect? 

But  it  is  different  with  reference  to  good  works  ;  for  they  must 
be  our  good  works.  Man  is  and  should  be  passive  in  all  other  re- 
spects, but  not  in  his  work.  Work  is  the  end  of  one's  passive  con- 
dition. To  work  and  to  be  passive  are  opposites.  To  imagine  that 
work  can  be  passive  or  actively  passive  is  like  imagining  that  a 
circle  is  square,  that  ink  is  white,  that  water  is  dry.  Wherefore 
the  Heidelberg  Catechism  rightly  asks :  "  Why  must  we  still  do 
good  works?" 

Hence  there  can  be  no  good  work  unless  it  is  wrought  by  our- 
selves. And  every  representation  as  tho  man  did  not  perform  good 
works,  but  that  the  Holy  Spirit  performs  them  in  him  and  in  his 
place,  is  to  subvert  the  Gospel  and  to  wrest  the  Scripture. 

The  work  of  Christ  is  vicarious,  that  of  the  Holy  Spirit  is  not. 
He  works  in  man,  but  not  in  his  place.  And  however  extensive  His 
work  may  be  in  us,  being  wrought  independently  of  us,  it  can  never 
be  counted  as  our  own.  Christ  died  and  rose  from  the  dead  for  us 
and  independently  of  us.  But  the  Holy  Spirit  can  not  draw  fruit 
from  the  tree  except  our  ego  executes  the  work. 

But — and  this  should  be  emphasized — our  ego  can  not  execute 
it  except  "  the  work  is  wrought  in  us  with  power."  The  inward 
higher  life  does  not  act  like  the  sap  in  the  vine,  for  this  enters  the 
vine  naturally.  But  the  working  of  the  holy  life  is  different.  Al- 
tho  a  holy  disposition  is  implanted,  God's  child  does  not  produce 
any  good  fruit  of  himself.    Altho  well  furnished  and  well  equipped, 


500  SANCTIFICATION 

if  left  to  himself  he  produces  nothing;  not  a  single  good  work, 
however  small. 

The  most  skilful  diamond-cutter,  tho  supplied  with  the  best 
tools,  can  not  furnish  the  smallest  diamond  rose  except  the  pro- 
prietor of  the  establishment  gives  him  the  diamond,  the  steam- 
power  in  his  tools,  and  even  the  gas-light  upon  his  hands.  In  like 
manner  it  is  impossible  for  the  most  excellent  among  God's  chil- 
dren, tho  their  souls  be  well  equipped,  to  furnish  a  single  good 
work,  except  the  Proprietor  of  the  holy-art  establishment  gives 
them  the  material,  the  power,  and  the  light. 

Hence  the  content  and  entire  form  of  every  good  work  is  not  of 
man,  but  of  the  Holy  Ghost,  so  that  when  it  is  finished  we  owe 
thanks  to  God,  and  not  He  to  us.  In  every  man  who  performs  a 
good  work  He  works  both  to  will  and  to  do. 

But  when  the  Holy  Spirit  has  furnished  everything  necessary, 
then  one  thing  is  still  lacking,  viz.,  that  the  saint  do  it  and  make  the 
work  his  own.     And  this  is  the  wonderful  act  of  faith. 

There  is  not  one  good  work  which  God  has  not  prepared  before, 
that  we  should  walk  in  it ;  and  this  is  why  it  is  not  wrought  until 
we  walk  in  it.  The  Lord  says  to  Ezekiel,  "  I  will  cause  you  to  walk 
in  my  statutes,"  but  the  Lord  does  not  cause  us  to  walk  therein  un- 
til we  actually  walk  in  them.  We  shall  neither  be  carried  nor  be 
wheeled  into  them.  This  would  have  no  value  before  the  divine 
Majesty;  that  would  be  no  art.  Even  we  can  wheel  the  cripple  in 
his  carriage ;  but  the  art  of  making  him  to  walk,  yea,  even  to  leap 
as  a  hart,  is  not  human,  but  worthy  of  God  alone.  And  we  may 
not  allow  this  to  be  taken  from  Him  by  a  sickly  mysticism,  and  thus 
rob  God  of  this  glory. 

To  say,  as  many  do,  that  the  Lord  carries  His  children  impercep- 
tibly into  good  paths,  and  that  this  constitutes  their  good  works,  is 
to  despise  holy  things.  No  one  should  touch  the  honor  of  our  God; 
and  we  may  not  rest  until  the  pure  doctrine  bums  again  from  the 
candlestick :  that  the  power  of  God  is  manifest  in  the  fact  that  He 
causes  the  cripple  to  walk,  to  run,  and  to  leap  as  a  hart. 

And  this  is  the  act  of  faith,  i.e.,  that  wonderful  act  of  the  soul 
of  casting  itself  into  the  deep,  knowing  that  it  shall  fall  into  the 
everlasting  arms  of  mercy,  tho  it  is  utterly  unable  to  see.  Faith  in 
this  respect  is  to  agree  with  the  divine  will ;  to  accept  the  good 


GOOD   WORKS  501 

work  which  God  has  prepared  for  us,  as  our  own;  to  appropriate 
to  ourselves  what  God  gives  us. 

An  awkward  schoolboy  has  to  make  a  speech  before  a  strange 
audience.  It  is  a  difficult  task,  and  he  does  not  even  know  how  to 
begin.  All  his  own  efforts  are  useless.  Then  his  father  calls  him 
and  says:  "  If  you  commit  this  little  speech  which  I  have  prepared, 
and  recite  it  without  missing  a  word,  it  will  be  a  success."  And 
the  boy  obeys.  There  is  nothing  of  himself — it  is  all  his  father's 
work;  he  merely  believes  that  what  his  father  has  prepared  for  him 
is  good.  And  in  this  confidence  he  goes  before  the  strange  audi- 
ence, delivers  his  father's  composition,  and  succeeds.  However, 
the  writing  of  the  speech  did  not  end  the  matter,  and  it  could  not 
be  ended  until  the  boy  had  done  his  part.  When  God  has  prepared 
the  good  work  for  us,  the  matter  is  not  ended  until  we  do  what  God 
has  prepared  for  us. 

Coming  home  the  boy  does  not  proudly  ask  a  reward,  but  with 
gratitude  he  embraces  his  father  for  his  love  and  faithfulness.  Hav- 
ing obtained  success,  God's  children  are  profoundly  thankful  for  their 
Father's  excellent  help;  and  they  acknowledge  that  they  owe  it  all 
to  Him.  And  if  He  is  pleased  to  give  them  a  reward,  it  is  not  be- 
cause they  have  deserved  it ;  for  if  it  were  a  question  of  desert,  the 
children  would  have  to  give  everything  to  the  Father!  But  it  is 
merely  a  reward  of  love  for  the  future  support  of  their  faith. 


XVI. 
Self-Denial. 

"  If  any  man  will  come  after  Me,  let  him 
deny  himself,  and  take  up  his  cross, 
and  follow  Me." — Matt.  xvi.  24. 

Good  works  are  not  the  saint's  sanctification,  any  more  than 
drops  of  water  are  the  fountain ;  but  they  spring  as  crystal  drops 
from  the  fountain  of  sanctification.  They  are  good,  not  when  the 
saint  intends  them  to  be  good,  but  when  they  conform  to  the  di- 
vine law  and  proceed  from  a  true  faith.  Yet  the  hitentiori  is  of 
great  importance ;  the  Church  has  always  taught  that  a  work  could 
not  be  called  good  unless  it  is  directed  to  the  glory  of  God. 

This  is  a  vital  point  which  must  animate  and  give  direction  to 
the  whole  matter:  only  to  the  glory  of  God.  Every  other  intention 
makes  the  good  work  evil.  Even  the  effort  to  do  good  works  is 
impossible  without  the  "  Soli  Deo  Gloria." 

This  is  the  reason  why  so  many  well-meant  efforts  at  so-called 
sanctification  become  sinful.  For  the  man  who  applies  himself 
earnestly  and  diligently  to  good  works,  solely  to  attain  a  holier 
status  and  thus  become  a  holier  person,  has  lost  his  reward.  His 
end  in  view  is  not  God,  but  himself;  and  while  every  good  work 
humbles  a  man  and  real  sanctification  leads  to  the  breaking  down 
and  casting  out  of  self,  this  wrongly  planned  sanctification  causes 
self-exaltation  and  spiritual  pride. 

To  think  that  by  self-sanctification  God  is  honored  and  His  glory 
exalted  is  self-deception.  The  divine  honor  and  majesty  are  so 
holy  and  exalted  that  His  glory  must  be  the  direct  end  in  view. 
To  work  for  self-sanctification  directly,  and  for  His  honor  indirectly, 
is  unworthy  of  His  holiness. 

The  end  and  aim  of  all  things  must  be  the  Lord  God  alone. 
Justice  must  dwell  in  the  land,  not  only  to  preserve  order,  but  to 
remove  iniquity  from  before  the  presence  of  the  Lord.     The  mis- 


SELF-DENIAL  503 

sionary  cause  must  be  supported  not  only  to  convert  souls,  but 
to  summon  the  nations  to  appear  in  Zion  before  God.  Prayer  must 
be  offered  not  only  to  obtain  the  good  which  is  bestowed  without 
prayer,  but  because  every  creature,  morning  and  evening,  must  lie 
in  the  dust,  crying,  "Holy,  holy,  holy  is  the  Lord!"  making  the 
Avhole  earth  full  of  His  glory.  And  hence  every  creature  must  do 
good  works,  and  all  the  children  of  God  can  do  good  works ;  not 
that  they  may  become  a  little  more  holy,  but  that  the  glory  of  holi- 
ness might  shine  to  the  praise  of  our  God. 

3,  This  third  point  should  therefore  never  be  omitted.  Tho  our 
works  are  according  to  the  law  and  of  faith,  but  not  directed  to  the 
glory  of  God,  they  can  not  please  Him.  It  avails  nothing,  tho  the 
bow  be  strongly  bent  and  the  cord  of  the  best  material,  if  the  arrow 
upon  the  cord  be  not  turned  in  the  right  direction. 

The  doctrine  of  Good  Works  touches  the  most  delicate  and  most 
sensitive  of  our  internal  emotions,  viz.,  self-denial 

Superficial  minds,  poor  in  grace  and  godliness,  speak  of  self- 
denial  but  rarely,  and  then  without  understanding  its  meaning. 
They  think  that  it  consists  in  making  room  for  others ;  in  argument 
to  be  the  least;  to  renounce  pleasure  or  profit  for  a  higher  purpose ; 
to  care  for  others,  not  for  self.  Surely  this  is  a  precious  fruit;  ear- 
nestly to  be  desired;  and  if  it  were  found  more  abundantly  among 
the  children  of  God  we  should  thank  Him  for  it.  But,  alas!  there 
is  such  leanness  of  soul  even  in  the  most  earnest,  so  much  selfish- 
ness, ambition,  anger,  confidence  in  the  creature,  that  every  mani- 
festation of  nobler  impulse  has  a  most  refreshing  effect. 

But  the  question  now  before  us  is  this,  whether  such  making 
room  for  others,  such  self-sacrifice,  deserves  the  name  of  self-denial. 
And  the  answer  must  be  a  most  emphatic  "  No ! "  The  saint's  self- 
denial  has  reference,  not  to  man,  but  to  God,  and  for  this  reason  it 
is  superlatively  high  and  holy,  difficult  and  almost  impossible. 

Of  course  God's  child  loves  his  heavenly  Father,  but  not  with 
an  unalterable  love.  In  spite  of  his  love  he  is  sometimes  very 
unlovely.  Still,  when  the  question  echoes  through  his  soul,  "  Simon 
Bar-Jonah,  lovest  thou  Me?"  and  he  feels  tempted  by  self-reproach 
to  say,  "  No,  Lord,"  then  the  response  flashes  from  the  bottom  of  his 
soul  against  all  contradiction :  "  Yes,  Lord,  Thou  knowest  that  I 
love  Thee." 

Therefore  nothing  would  seem  more  natural  than  to  find  pleas- 


504  SANCTIFICATION 

ure  in  denying  himself  for  God's  sake.  And  this  is  actually  the 
case.  He  spends  his  happiest  moments  in  sincere  self-denial ;  for 
then  he  is  never  alone,  but  always  with  Jesus,  whom  he  follows. 
Then  he  realizes  the  holiness  and  transcendent  glory  of  the  claim : 
"  If  any  man  will  come  after  Me,  let  him  deny  himself,  take  up  his 
cross,  and  follow  Me." 

But  while  the  blessedness  of  his  former  self-denials  is  still  fresh 
in  his  memory,  when  called  to  a  new  act  of  the  same  nature  he 
shrinks  from  it  and  finds  it  almost  impossible.  Self-denial  extends 
so  far.  Its  depths  can  not  be  fathomed.  When  the  plummet  has 
descended  the  whole  length  of  the  line,  there  is  still  such  a  yawning 
depth  beneath  that  actually  the  bottom  is  never  touched.  It  re- 
fers, not  to  a  few  things,  but  to  all  things.  It  embraces  our  entire 
life  and  existence,  with  all  that  is  in  us,  of  us,  and  around  us;  our 
entire  environment,  reputation,  position,  influence,  and  possession; 
it  includes  all  the  ties  of  blood  and  affection  that  bind  us  to  wife 
and  children,  parents  and  brothers,  friends  and  associates;  all  our 
past,  present,  and  future;  all  our  gifts,  talents,  and  endowment; 
all  the  ramifications  and  extensions  of  our  outward  and  inward  life; 
the  rich  life  of  the  soul  and  the  tenderest  emotions  of  our  holier  im- 
pulses ;  our  conflict  and  our  strife ;  our  faith,  hope,  and  love — yea, 
our  inheritance  in  the  Son,  our  place  in  the  mansions  above,  and 
the  crown  which  the  righteous  Judge  shall  one  day  give  us;  and  as 
such,  in  that  entire  scope  of  life,  we  must  deny  ourselves  before 
God. 

We  are,  to  use  an  illustration,  in  all  our  life  and  existence  like 
a  fruit-tree,  broadly  rooted,  full  grown,  planted  in  fertile  soil, 
adorned  with  a  crown  of  many  branches  and  a  glorious  roof  of 
leaves ;  and  like  that  tree  with  its  roots  far  and  wide  in  the  earth, 
and  its  branches  high  and  broad  in  the  air,  are  we  deeply  rooted, 
possessing  an  existence  obtained  by  means  of  money,  reputation, 
property,  and  descent,  faith,  hope,  love,  and  the  promises  of  God. 
And  to  that  whole  tree,  to  that  entire  unit,  from  deepest  root  to 
highest  bough,  which  as  our  ego,  full  of  might  and  majesty,  stands 
before  our  consciousness  and  in  our  life, — to  all  this  the  ax  must 
be  laid ;  of  all  this  the  self-denying  soul  must  say :  "  God  is  all  and 
I  am  nothing." 

Many  say,  "  This  is  correct  and  exactly  my  idea,"  and  say  it 
quite  too  often ;  for  when  these  most  difficult  and  excellent  words 
again  and  again  pass  the  lips  as  mere  hollow  sounds,  they  strike  a 


SELF-DENIAL  S^S 

discord  to  the  earnest,  sensitive  soul.  But  when  we  grasp  the 
thought  as  an  actual  fact,  then  we  find  that  this  denial  of  our  entire 
existence  and  being  is  almost  entirely  beyond  our  grasp.  Self  can 
minify  itself  to  such  extent  that  we  really  think  that  it  is  gone  and 
denied,  while  at  the  same  time  it  stands  behind  our  back,  grinning 
with  Satanic  glee.  Self,  big  and  inflated,  is  not  hard  to  deny.  In 
this  way  the  unconverted  stands  before  God,  but  not  the  saint. 
That  has  been  taken  from  him.  Such  is  no  more  the  impulse  of 
his  desire.  But  self  shrunk,  reduced,  partly  unclothed,  hiding  be- 
hind pious  emotions  and  piles  of  good  works,  is  extremely  danger- 
ous. For  what  more  is  there  to  be  denied?  There  is  scarcely  any- 
thing left.  He  seeks  no  longer  the  world,  nor  his  own  glory ;  his 
only  end  in  view  is  the  glory  of  God.  At  least,  so  he  thinks.  But 
he  is  mistaken.  Self  is  there  still.  It  is  like  a  spring  tightly  bent 
for  a  time,  but  only  to  rebound  with  accumulated  force.  And  what 
was  called  self-denial  is  really  nothing  else  than  self  taking  care  of 
its  own.  And  that  is  the  worst  of  it,  self  is  so  dangerously  cun- 
ning. The  heart  of  man  is  "  deceitful  above  all  things  and  desper- 
ately wicked ;  who  can  know  it  ? " 

When  we  are  inclined  to  sin,  self  leaves  its  hiding-place  and 
with  all  its  power  labors  hard  to  make  us  sin.  But  when  the  Holy 
Spirit  woos  and  constrains  us,  weaning  us  from  sin,  then,  slunk  in 
a  corner,  it  hides  itself,  decoying  us  into  the  delusion  that  it  has 
ceased  to  be.  It  is  then  that,  with  evident  satisfaction,  deluded 
piety  asks  whether  the  denial  of  self  is  not  complete. 

But  the  true  saint  is  known  by  this:  while  the  self-deluded  one 
is  satisfied  with  this  spiritual  trickery,  he  is  not.  He  discovers  the 
trick.  Then  he  reproaches  himself.  He  drives  self  from  its  place 
of  concealment.  He  scolds  and  curses  that  evil  being  that  always 
stands  between  him  and  his  God.  And  with  groans  he  supplicates : 
"  Almighty,  merciful,  and  gracious  God,  have  mercy  upon  me." 

Self-denial  is  not  an  outward  act,  but  an  inward  turning  of  our 
being.  As  the  steamship  is  turned  about  by  the  rudder,  which  is 
swung  by  the  means  of  a  wheel,  so  there  is  within  our  being  a  rud- 
der, or  whatever  you  may  call  it,  which  is  turned  by  a  small  wheel, 
and  as  we  turn  the  entire  craft  either  leeward  or  windward,  we 
deny  either  self  or  God.  In  its  deepest  sense  we  always  deny 
either  the  one  or  the  other.  When  we  stand  well  we  deny  self;  in 
all  other  cases  we  deny  God.  And  the  internal  wheel  by  which  we 
turn  the  entire  craft  of  our  ego  is  our  intention.     The  rudder  deter- 


506  SANCTIFICATION 

mines  the  course  of  the  ship;  not  its  rigging  and  cargo,  nor  the 
character  of  the  crew,  but  its  directmi,  the  destination  of  the  voy- 
age, its  final  haven.  Hence,  when  we  see  our  craft  steering  away 
from  God,  we  swing  the  rudder  the  other  way  and  compel  it  to  turn 
toward  God. 

Notice  the  rigging  and  the  cargo.  The  former  may  be  magnifi- 
cent: excellent  talent,  superior  mind,  a  rich  state  of  grace.  The 
latter  may  be  very  precious:  a  treasure  of  knowledge,  of  moral 
power,  of  consecrated  love,  of  melting  and  adoring  piety.  And 
yet  with  that  excellent  rigging  and  that  precious  cargo,  we  can 
steer  our  craft  away  from  God  and  aim  at  self.  Then  only  is  there 
selj-denial  when,  without  regard  to  rigging  and  lading,  a  man 
causes  his  craft  to  run  directly  to  the  glory  of  God. 

The  intention  is  everything.  And  it  is  this  very  intention  which 
can  so  bitterly  mislead  us.  That  small  wheel  of  our  intentions  is 
so  exceedingly  sensitive  that  a  mere  touch  of  the  finger  can  reverse 
its  action.  This  is  why  we  are  such  ready  believers  in  the  good- 
ness and  beauty  of  our  intentions. 

Hence  the  need  of  deep,  correct,  intimate  knowledge  of  self.  And 
who  possesses  this?  And  since  by  His  light  the  Holy  Spirit  con- 
stantly refines  and  chastens  our  self-knowledge,  is  it  not  perfectly 
natural  that,  while  to-day  we  imagine  ourselves  to  be  quite  ad- 
vanced in  self-denial,  only  next  week  we  discover  how  bitterly  mis- 
taken we  are? 

To  seek  and  look  for  one's  highest  good  and  eternal  salvation, 
not  in  every  creature,  but  in  God;  to  use  spiritual  or  material 
gifts  not  for  ourselves,  but  for  His  glory ;  to  esteem  all  perishable 
things  of  no  account  compared  to  the  eternal ;  unwilling  to  be  one's 
own  lord,  but  as  God's  servant  to  enter  His  employ ;  no  longer  to 
possess  any  precious  things,  as  money  or  treasure,  or  even  one's 
children,  as  one's  own,  but  to  know  oneself  the  appointed  steward 
of  the  Lord;  to  have  no  more  care  or  anxious  thought,  but  renoun- 
cing every  trust  in  man,  in  capital  or  fixed  income,  or  in  any  other 
creature,  to  trust  only  and  solely  in  the  faithful  God;  to  be  at  peace 
with  one's  lot  and  with  God's  will ;  and,  finally,  to  direct  all  inten- 
tions and  emotions  away  from  oneself  upon  the  Beloved  and  Glori- 
ous One, — is  this  not  far-reaching?  And  can  our  own  progress  in 
regard  to  it  ever  satisfy  us? 

And  yet  such  self-denial  is  required  to  render  our  works  ^^^^ 
works  indeed,  in  which  the  angels  can  rejoice. 


SELF-DENIAL  507 

Thus  the  things  which  the  Holy  Spirit  took  from  Christ  to  give 
unto  us  return  to  our  Surety;  for  it  is  evident  that  not  one  of  our 
good  works  can  ever  be  complete  in  that  sense.  Our  self-denial  is 
never  perfect.  Hence  the  sad  complaint  that  "  our  best  works  are 
ever  polluted  before  God  " ;  and  the  prayer  for  the  cleansing  even 
of  our  good  works. 

And  this  must  be  so;  it  has  been  divinely  ordained  that  God's 
children  shall  never  leave  Christ.  If  they  really  obtained  perfection 
they  would  lose  sight  of  their  Surety ;  but  the  fact  that  even  their 
best  effort  is  defiled  drives  them  to  Christ  for  the  atonement  and 
cleansing  in  His  blood.  Self-defiial  is  a  fruit  of  the  atonemerit 
made  perfect  only  by  the  atonement.  And  thus,  in  the  growing 
and  ripening  of  spiritual  fruit,  God  uses  our  thoughts,  words,  and 
deeds  as  instruments  of  sanctification. 

For  does  not  the  exercise  of  frequent  self-denial  and  the  subse- 
quent yielding  of  the  fruit  of  righteousness,  under  the  Spirit's  gra- 
cious operation,  create  holy  habits  in  the  soul?  Is  not  in  this  way 
the  natural  bent  of  the  heart  transferred  from  Satan  to  God?  And 
when  the  Holy  Spirit  makes  these  holy  habits,  this  bent  of  the  heart 
toward  holiness,  a  permanent  disposition,  then  we  have  become 
fellow  workers  with  God  in  our  own  sanctification.  Nor  is  it  as 
tho  He  did  one  part  and  we  another,  but  He  using  our  work  as  a 
chisel  in  the  sculpturing  of  our  own  soul. 

And  from  this  motive  the  faithful  ministers  of  the  Word  should 
persuade,  incite,  and  constrain  believers  to  be  always  abounding 
in  the  work  of  the  Lord.  Sanctification  must  be  preached  as  with 
the  mouth  of  loudest  trumpet.  The  Church  of  Christ  imperatively 
needs  it.  The  word  which  declares  that  God  is  a  God  who  justi- 
fieth  the  ungodly  may  not  be  severed  from  that  other  word :  "  Be  ye 
holy,  for  I  am  holy."  The  operations  of  the  Word  and  of  the  Holy 
Spirit  flow  together.  Therefore  every  young  disciple  of  Christ 
should  not  only  confess  His  name  and  live  according  to  the  desires 
of  his  heart,  but  flee  from  worldly  lusts  to  walk  holily  and  sincerely 
before  the  Lord. 

Ministers  of  the  Word  should  be  careful  not  to  conceal  the  maj- 
esty of  the  Lord  Jehovah  behind  the  cross  of  Christ.  The  respon- 
sibility must  be  fearful,  if  ever  it  should  appear  that  our  preaching 
of  the  cross  of  Christ,  instead  of  having  smothered  sin,  had  quenched 
holy  living. 


Second  Cbaptcr. 
LOVE. 

XVII. 
Natural  Love. 

"And  hope  maketh  not  ashamed;  be- 
cause the  love  of  God  is  shed  abroad 
in  our  hearts  by  the  Holy  Ghost  which 
is  given  unto  us." — Ro?n.  v.  5. 

Sanctification  does  not  exhaust  the  work  of  the  Holy  Spirit.  It 
is  an  extraordinary  work,  necessitated  by  tn.a.n' s  fall  into  sin.  Love, 
of  which  we  now  will  treat,  is  His  deepest  and  most  proper  work, 
which  He  would  have  wrought  even  if  sin  had  never  been  heard  0/ ; 
which  He  will  continue  after  death ;  which  He  works  now  already 
in  the  angels,  and  which  He  will  continue  in  us  in  the  mansions 
of  the  Father's  house  evermore.  Necessarily,  across  the  path  of 
quickening  love  falls  the  dark  shadow  of  that  terrible  operation  of 
Judgment  and  hardening  which  the  Holy  Spirit  works  in  the  lost. 
We  will  close  with  a  sketch  of  the  unpardonable  sin  against  the  Holy 
Ghost. 

Our  subject  is  not  love  in  general,  but  Love.  The  difference  is 
evident.  Love  signifies  the  only  pure,  true,  divine  Love;  by  love 
in  general  is  understood  every  expression  of  kindness,  attachment, 
mutual  affection,  and  devotion  wherein  are  seen  reflections  of  the 
glory  of  Eternal  Love. 

Love  in  its  general  sense  is  also  found  in  the  world  of  animals; 
a  love  so  strong  sometimes  that  it  shames  man,  casting  reproach 
upon  his  conscience.  The  tenderness  of  the  mother  hen  is  prover- 
bial. The  same  hen  which  at  other  times  mns  away  at  the  distant 
approach  of  dog  or  cat,  flies  at  the  ugliest  cat  or  fiercest  bulldog 
when  she  has  chickens  to  defend.     Every  mother  bird  defends  her 


NATURAL    LOVE  509 

eggs  at  the  price  of  her  life.  And  altho  neither  cat  nor  dog  hay 
the  least  consideration  for  the  mother  love  of  hen  or  duck,  yet  both 
manifest  the  same  love  for  their  young  ones.  The  most  blood- 
thirsty animals,  even  tigers  and  hyenas,  are  never  more  enraged 
than  when  the  hunter  approaches  their  whelps  too  closely.  It  is 
unnecessary  to  say  that  love  in  this  sense  has  no  moral  value.  Yet 
it  is  not  valueless.  Christ  made  the  love  of  the  mother  hen  a  type 
of  His  own  love  for  His  people  and  for  Jerusalem.  And  when  our 
small  boys  are  furious  when  they  see  the  male  rabbit  kill  his  young 
while  the  female  fights  for  them,  there  is  in  their  boyish  hearts  a 
pure  voice  of  praise  for  the  superior  love  of  that  little  mother. 
However,  praise  for  this  love  which  is  merely  instinctive,  increated, 
and  irresistible  belongs,  not  to  the  mother  hen  or  mother  lion,  but 
to  Him  who  created  it  in  them. 

Turning  from  the  love  of  instinct  to  the  world  of  men,  we  are 
surprised  to  meet  phenomena  closely  resembling  it.  A  coquettish 
maiden,  apparently  devoid  of  all  devotion,  becomes  a  wife  and 
mother,  and  suddenly  she  seems  to  have  been  initiated  into  the 
mysteries  of  love.  Her  infant  is  the  only  object  of  all  her  thoughts. 
She  suffers  for  it  without  complaint,  fondles  and  cherishes  it ;  and 
if  a  cruel  dog  were  to  attack  the  babe,  as  a  heroine  the  otherwise 
timid  maiden  would  fight  the  monster. 

And  yet  with  all  these  similarities  there  is  a  difference.  Love 
in  that  mother  is  weaker  than  in  the  animal.  For  hours  she  can 
leave  her  child  in  the  care  of  others,  while  the  brooding  mother 
bird  scarcely  leaves  the  nest  at  all.  The  former  has  affection  for 
other  members  of  the  family,  but  the  latter  with  shrieks  drives 
away  all  that  dare  approach  the  nest.  In  a  word,  the  animal's  ma- 
ternal love  is  more  absolute,  and  in  this  respect  excels  the  love  of 
the  young  mother.  But  when  the  chickens  are  half  grown,  the 
mother  forgets  and  forsakes  them ;  while  the  love  of  most  moth- 
ers for  their  tender  infants  gradually  assumes  a  nobler  character, 
rising  from  instinctive  love  to  spiritual  love.  A  mother's  power  lies 
in  the  fact  that  %\i&  prays  for  her  child. 

Evidently  we  must  distinguish  here  two  kinds  of  love :  a  lower 
form  which  springs  from  the  blood,  which  the  mother  has  in  com- 
mon with  the  bird,  but  which  is  less  constant;  and  a  superior  love 
of  another  sort  lacking  in  the  hen,  by  which  the  human  far  sur- 
passes the  animal. 


5IO  LOVE 

This  lower  form  is,  from  the  blood j  not  altogether  instinctive  as 
in  the  dove,  yet  nearly  so,  i.e.,  independent  of  the  moral  develop- 
ment of  the  mother.  This  can  be  seen  in  girls  of  inferior  moral 
development,  who,  when  they  become  mothers,  fall  almost  desper- 
ately in  love  with  their  babes ;  while  in  others,  who  stand  much 
higher  morally,  maternal  love  is  much  more  moderate.  And  this 
shows  that  the  irresistible  passion  of  maternal  love  lacks  a  higher 
motive.  Like  the  animal's  love  it  springs  from  nature.  And  when 
we  see  and  enjoy  the  spectacle,  we  realize  that  the  glory  of  it  be- 
longs, not  to  the  woman,  but  to  Him  whose  work  we  admire  in  the 
inclinations  of  the  creature. 

Next  to  this  instinctive  love  we  find  in  the  mother  something 
superior;  not  only  in  the  few,  but  in  all.  And  we  say  this  in  spite 
of  the  fact  that  there  are  unnatural  mothers  who  are  almost  entirely 
devoid  of  this  higher  love.  Only,  it  should  be  remembered,  that  the 
human  soul  contains  much  that  is  suppressed  which  once  was  ac- 
tive; that  in  dehumanized  women,  when  only  partly  reclaimed, 
this  nobler  feature  often  reappears ;  yea,  that  in  the  lives  of  such 
mothers,  amid  sin  and  shame,  there  are  momentary  sparks  of  a 
higher  love  which  illumine  their  moral  darkness  like  a  flash  of 
lightning. 

This  higher  grade  of  maternal  love  bears  an  entirely  different 
character.  The  sight  of  the  sweet  and  lovely  babe  may  support 
it,  but  can  not  account  for  it,  nor  produce  it.  It  has  a  higher  ori- 
gin. Its  sign  is:  a  mother  carrying  her  child  to  holy  Baptism. 
For  altho  much  of  this  is  done  out  of  custom  and  from  love  of  dis- 
play, yet  essentially  it  is  the  declaration  that  a  human  child  is  greater 
than  young  bird  or  animal's  whelp.  Even  when  the  French  Revo- 
lution had  temporarily  abolished  holy  Baptism,  it  replaced  it  by 
a  sort  of  political  baptism.  The  young  mother  is  constrained  to  see 
in  her  child  something  greater  than  mere  "clods  0/  infajit  flesh."' 
And  altho  in  many  mothers  it  has  become  almost  imperceptible, 
sunk  so  low  that  many  have  been  seen  to  drag  their  children  into 
the  paths  of  sin;  yet  in  nobler  natures,  and  under  more  favorable 
circumstances,  this  refreshing  parental  love  has  the  power  to  de- 
velop the  energy  of  the  moral  growth  of  future  generations.  In 
understanding  the  difference  between  father  and  mother  one  will 
be  able  to  distinguish  this  lower  and  higher  mother  love,  even  in 
their  finer  variations.     Of  course,  the  instinctive  love  is  not  so 


NATURAL   LOVE  511 

strong  in  the  father  as  in  the  mother ;  hence  the  love  which  bears 
the  moral  character  of  duty  and  vocation  is  more  conspicuous  in 
the  former. 

But  even  where  this  wonderful  mingling  of  instinctive  and  moral 
love  in  the  mutual  love  of  husband  and  wife  manifests  itself  most 
beautifully,  in  parental  love  and  by  counter-action  va.  filial  love,  and 
as  a  connecting  link  in  fraternal  love,  it  is  still  a  form  of  love  that 
can  exist  in  total  independence  of  the  conscious  love  of  God.  Often 
it  strongly  expresses  itself  among  pronounced  unbelievers. 

And  the  same  is  true  of  that  freer  expression  of  love  which,  in- 
dependently of  the  ties  of  blood,  often  develops  itself  in  beautiful 
forms  between  friends,  between  congenial  minds,  between  comrades 
in  the  same  struggle,  between  the  leaders  and  the  led;  yea,  which 
from  the  things  visible  can  rise  to  embrace  the  things  invisible,  and 
unfold  itself  in  fairest  forms  of  love  for  art  and  science,  for  king 
and  country,  for  the  nation  and  its  history,  for  inherited  rights  and 
privileges — in  brief,  for  all  that  inspires  the  breast  with  the  noble 
feelings  of  consecration  and  sacrifice.  For,  whatever  its  wealth 
and  scintillating  beauty  may  be,  in  itself  it  is  apart  from  the  Love 
of  the  Eternal.  In  order  not  to  betray  their  accomplices,  hardened 
criminals  have  endured  cruel  tortures  upon  the  rack  with  marvel- 
ous constancy.  Communists,  dying  upon  the  barricades  of  Paris  in 
defense  of  the  most  blasphemous  barbarism,  have  displayed  a  hero- 
ism similar  to  that  of  our  heroes  at  Waterloo  and  Dogger-Bank. 
Profane  and  wanton  soldiers  have  cast  themselves  upon  the  enemy 
with  rare  contempt  of  death.  But  in  all  these  manifestations  of 
love,  blood  heated  by  passion  on  the  one  hand,  and  impure  motives 
on  the  other,  may  play  their  part  and  rob  it  almost  entirely  of  its 
divine  character. 

Yea,  even  in  its  highest  manifestations  among  men,  such  as  pity 
for  the  suffering  and  mercy  toward  the  fallen  and  perishing,  it  may 
still  be  devoid  of  the  spark  of  holy  Love.  There  are  natural  men 
who  can  not  bear  the  sight  of  suffering;  who  are  so  deeply  affected 
by  the  heart-breaking  spectacles  of  sorrow  and  mourning  that  they 
must  show  pity;  to  whom  the  offering  of  sympathy  is  a  natural 
necessity;  who  count  the  soothing  of  other  men's  sorrow  a  joy 
rather  than  a  sacrifice. 

But  even  in  this  highest  form,  most  closely  approaching  the  di- 
vine mercies,  it  is  frequently  without  any  connection  with  the  Eter- 
nal Love.     It  may  be  an  impulse  from  instinct,  an  inclination  from 


512  LOVE 

temperament,  the  effect  of  a  noble  example,  or  for  the  sake  of  fame 
almost  everywhere  obtainable  by  works  of  mercy ;  but  the  love  of 
Christ  is  lacking.  It  is  not  the  throbbing  of  the  Love  of  God  that 
vibrates  in  these  manifestations.  There  is  love  that  is  to  be  appre- 
ciated ;  but  the  Love  of  which  St.  John  declares  that  God  is  Love, 
is  found  only  when  the  Holy  Spirit  enters  the  soul  and  teaches  it 
to  glory  "  in  the  love  of  God  which  is  shed  abroad  in  our  hearts  by 
the  Holy  Spirit  which  is  given  us." 


XVIII. 
Love  in  the  Triune  Being  of  God. 

"God  is  Love." — \  John  iv.  8. 

Between  natural  love  even  in  its  highest  forms  and  Holy  Love 
there  is  a  wide  chasm.  This  had  to  be  emphasized  so  that  our  read- 
ers might  not  mistake  the  nature  of  Love.  Many  say  that  God  is 
Love,  but  measure  His  Love  by  the  love  of  men.  They  study 
love's  being  and  manifestations  in  others  and  in  themselves,  and 
then  think  themselves  competent  to  judge  that  this  human  love,  in 
a  more  perfect  form,  is  the  Love  of  God.  Of  course  they  are  wrong. 
Essential  Love  must  be  studied  as  it  is  in  God  Himself;  as  He  has 
manifested  it  in  His  Word.  And  the  scintillations  of  the  creature's 
feeble  love  must  be  looked  upon  only  as  sparks  from  the  fire  of  the 
divine  Love. 

Our  God  is  the  very  liberal  Fountain  of  all  good.  Love  being 
the  highest  good,  God  must  be  the  very  liberal  Fountain  of  all 
Love.  And  from  that  Fountain  flows  every  earthly  love  of  what- 
ever name,  however  faint  or  feeble.  The  Creator  alone  can  create 
in  His  creature  the  irresistible  love  of  instinct,  in  which  we  see  a 
display  of  His  glory.  For  the  same  end  He  created  a  strong  crea- 
turely  attachment,  not  ivholly  instinctive,  yet  to  some  extent  un- 
consciously active ;  to  this  belong  the  mother's  love  for  her  babe, 
love  at  first  sight,  brotherly  love,  etc.  Higher  than  this  is  the  love 
of  moral  kinship,  whereby  He  has  disposed  spirit  to  spirit  for  con- 
genial fellowship  and  mutual  love.  These  are  three  forms  in  which 
is  found  something  of  the  Love  of  God,  but  still  belonging  to  Crea- 
tion and  Providence,  in  no  wise  partaking  of  the  treasure  of  the 
divine  Life. 

Love  on  earth  adopts  this  higher  character  only  when  it  becomes 

self-consecrating,  self-denying,  self-sacrificing ;  when  the  object  of 

love  does  not  attract,  but  only  repels.     The  devoted  nurse  caring 

for  the  pest-stricken  stranger  finds  nothing  in  him  to  attract  her; 

33 


514  LOVE 

rather  the  reverse.  And  still  she  stays,  she  perseveres,  not  only 
from  a  sense  of  duty,  but  attracted  by  the  misery  and  desolation 
of  the  sufferer.  This  is  indeed  the  effect  of  a  higher  love,  which 
flows  from  the  Fountain  of  Eternal  Love.  That  nurse  exhibits  de- 
votion to  the  invisible,  apprehension  of  the  spiritual. 

And  altho  God  has  so  constituted  our  nervous  system  that  suf- 
fering causes  us  discomfort,  that  the  sight  of  pain  affects  us  pain- 
fully, so  that  from  a  mere  fellow  feeling  we  are  instantly  ready  to 
bear  relief  to  the  sufferer,  yet  that  higher  form  of  love  usually 
rises  from  the  lower  nervous  life  to  a  higher  expression  which  is 
impossible  without  an  inward  operation  of  grace. 

It  thus  prepares  the  way  for  the  highest  love,  that  directs  itself 
not  only  to  the  invisible  things,  but  to  the  Invisible  One,  attracting 
the  soul  toward  Him  with  irresistible  drawings.  And  only  then  is 
Love  itself  reached. 

The  Word  declares  that  God  is  Love,  and  the  Spirit's  testimony 
says  in  every  heart:  "Amen,  not  in  us,  but  in  Thee,  O  Eternal 
One.  Thou  art  Love.  There  is  no  love  that  does  not  spring  from 
Thee ! "  And  this  is  a  mystery  that  men  and  angels  fail  to  fathom. 
Who  ever  expressed  its  perfection  in  words?  Who  does  not  realize 
that  it  is  a  harmony  marvelously  beautiful,  blessed,  and  divine 
which  the  confused  ear  of  the  creature  can  not  fully  appreciate.^ 
Men  confess  it,  drink  in  its  sweetness  and  loveliness ;  the  heart  is 
blessed  and  cherished  by  it ;  but  after  the  bliss  is  tasted  and  the 
cup  taken  from  the  lips,  we  know  no  more  of  the  nature  of  Love 
than  the  babe  that  has  enjoyed  love  at  his  mother's  breast.  We 
can  not  describe  or  analyze  it;  we  can  not  fathom  or  penetrate  its 
hidden  essence.  It  takes  possession  of  us,  pervades  us,  refreshes 
us;  but  as  the  wind,  of  which  we  know  not  whence  it  cometh  and 
whither  it  goeth,  so  in  our  best  moments  are  the  wonderful  draw- 
ings of  the  Love  of  our  God.  It  is  not  created  nor  conceived.  It 
is  eternal  as  God  Himself.  Love  was  never  outside  of  Him,  so  as 
to  come  to  Him  from  elsewhere;  nor  for  a  single  moment  through- 
out eternity  was  He  without  it.  Without  bearing  in  Himself  deep, 
eternal  Love,  without  being  Love,  He  can  not  be  our  God. 

Superficial  minds,  however,  conceive  of  the  Love  of  God  only  as 
forgiving  sin ;  as  too  good  to  tolerate  suffering ;  too  peaceable  to 
allow  war.  But  the  Word  teaches  that  the  Love  of  God  is  a  holy 
Love,  intolerant  of  evil,  for  its  own  sake  causing  the  sinner  to  suffer 


LOVE    IN   THE   TRIUNE    BEING   OF   GOD      515 

that  he  may  turn  from  his  false  joys.  It  was  this  very  Love  that 
said  in  Paradise,  immediately  after  the  breach  of  sin :  "  /  will  put 
enmity ! " 

God's  children  have  derived  from  the  Word  deeper  and  richer 
conceptions  of  the  divine  Love,  for  they  confess  a  Triune  God, 
Father,  Son,  and  Holy  Ghost,  one  God  in  three  Persons :  the  Fa- 
ther, who  generates ;  the  Son,  who  is  generated ;  and  the  Holy 
Spirit,  who  proceeds  from  both  Father  and  Son.  And  the  Love- 
life  whereby  these  Three  mutually  love  each  other  is  the  Eternal 
Being  Himself.  This  alone  is  the  true  and  real  life  of  Love.  The 
entire  Scripture  teaches  that  nothing  is  more  precious  and  glorious 
than  the  Love  of  the  Father  for  the  Son,  and  of  the  Son  for  the 
Father,  and  of  the  Holy  Spirit  for  both. 

This  Love  is  nameless :  human  tongue  has  no  words  to  express 
it ;  no  creature  may  iiiquisitively  look  into  its  eternal  depths.  It  is  the 
great  and  impenetrable  mystery.  We  listen  to  its  music  and  adore 
it;  but  when  its  glory  has  passed  through  the  soul  the  lips  are  still 
unable  adequately  to  describe  any  of  its  features.  God  may  loose 
the  tongue  so  that  it  can  shout  and  sing  to  the  praise  of  eternal 
Love,  but  the  intellect  remains  powerless. 

Before  God  created  heaven  and  earth  with  all  their  inhabitants, 
the  eternal  Love  of  Father,  Son,  and  Holy  Spirit  shone  with  unseen 
splendor  in  the  divine  Being.  Love  exists,  not  for  the  sake  of  the 
world,  but  for  God's  sake;  and  when  the  world  came  into  exist- 
ence. Love  remained  unchanged;  and  if  every  creature  were  to 
disappear,  it  would  remain  just  as  rich  and  glorious  as  ever.  Love 
exists  and  works  in  the  Eternal  Being  apart  from  the  creature ;  and 
its  radiation  upon  the  creature  is  but  a  feeble  reflection  of  its  being. 

Love  is  not  God,  but  God  is  Love;  and  He  is  sufficient  to  Him- 
self to  love  absolutely  and  forever.  He  has  no  need  of  the  crea- 
ture, and  the  exercise  of  His  Love  did  not  begin  with  the  creature 
whom  He  could  love,  but  it  flows  and  springs  eternally  in  the  Love- 
life  of  the  Triune  God.  God  is  Love ;  its  perfection,  divine  beauty, 
real  dimensions,  and  holiness  are  not  found  in  men,  not  even  in  the 
best  of  God's  children,  but  scintillate  only  around  the  Throne  of 
God. 

The  unity  of  Love  with  the  Confession  of  the  Trinity  is  the 
starting-point  from  which  we  proceed  to  base  Love  independently 
in  God,  absolutely  independent  of  the  creature  or  anything  crea- 
turely.     This  is  not  to  make  the  divine  Trinity  a  philosophic  de- 


5i6  LOVE 

duction  from  essential  love.  That  is  unlawful;  if  God  had  not 
revealed  this  mystery  in  His  Word  we  should  be  totally  ignorant 
of  it.  But  since  the  Scripture  puts  the  Triune  Being  before  us  as 
the  Object  of  our  adoration,  and  upon  almost  every  page  most 
highly  exalts  the  mutual  Love  of  Father,  Son,  and  Holy  Spirit,  and 
delineates  it  as  an  Eternal  Love,  we  know  and  plainly  see  that  this 
holy  Love  may  never  be  represented  but  as  springing  from  the 
mutual  love  of  the  divine  Persons. 

Hence  through  the  mystery  of  the  Trinity,  the  Love  which  is 
in  God  and  is  God  obtains  its  independent  existence,  apart  from 
the  creature,  independent  of  the  emotions  of  mind  and  heart ;  and 
it  rises  as  a  sun,  with  its  own  fire  and  rays,  outside  of  man,  in  God, 
in  whom  it  rests  and  from  whom  it  radiates. 

In  this  way  we  eradicate  every  comparison  of  the  Love  of  God 
with  our  love.  In  this  way  the  false  mingling  ceases.  In  prin- 
ciple we  resist  the  reversing  of  positions  whereby  arrogant  man 
had  succeeded  in  copying  from  himself  a  so-called  God  of  Love, 
and  into  silencing  all  adoration.  In  this  way  the  soul  returns  to 
the  blessed  confession  that  God  is  Love ;  and  the  way  of  divine 
mercy  and  pity  is  opened  whereby  the  brightness  of  that  Sun  can 
radiate  in  a  human  way,  i.e.,  in  a  finite  and  imperfect  manner  to 
and  in  the  human  heart,  to  the  praise  of  God. 


XIX. 
The  Manifestation  of  Holy  Love. 

"And  we  have  known  and  believed  the 
love  that  God  hath  to  us." — \John 
iv.  i6. 

The  question  which  now  presents  itself  is :  In  what  way  is  the 
divine,  majestic  act  of  making  man  a  partaker  of  true  love  accom- 
plished?   We  answer  that  this  is — 

1.  Prepared  by  the  Father  in  Creation. 

2.  Made  possible  by  the  Son  in  Redemption. 

3.  Effectually  accomplished  by  the  Holy  Spirit  in  Sanctifi- 
cation. 

There  is  in  this  respect,  first  a  work  of  the  Father,  which  the 
Heidelberg  Catechism  designates,  "  Of  God  the  Father  and  our 
Creation,"  following  the  example  of  St.  Paul,  who  wrote:  "  But  to 
us  there  is  but  one  God  the  Father,  of  whom  are  all  things"  (i  Cor. 
viii.  6.  By  this  we  do  not  mean  to  deny  that  God  the  Father 
works  also  in  redemption  and  in  sanctification,  for  all  the  outgoing 
works  of  God  belong  to  the  three  Persons.  We  only  wish  to  indi- 
cate that  seeking  for  the  origin  of  things,  one  can  not  stop  at  the 
Holy  Spirit,  for  He  proceedeth  from  the  Son  and  the  Father ;  nor  at 
the  Son,  for  He  is  generated  by  the  Father ;  but  at  the  Father,  for 
He  neither  proceedeth  from  any  one,  nor  is  He  generated. 

In  this  Scriptural  sense  we  say,  that  the  work  of  making  man  a 
partaker  of  Love  is  prepared  by  the  Father  in  creation. 

For  every  exercise  of  love,  both  in  man  and  animal,  finds  its 
ground  in  creation.  In  the  animal  God  created  instinctive  love 
directly ;  in  the  man  He  created  love  by  making  all  men  of  one 
blood,  by  ordaining  husband  and  wife  to  be  each  other's  helpmeets, 
and  by  creating  in  the  blood  itself  that  wonderful  attraction  of  the 
one  to  the  other. 


518  LOVE 

Moreover,  He  also  implanted  in  man's  consciousness  the  sense  of 
love.  The  animal  loves,  but  without  knowing  it.  On  the  contrary, 
not  only  does  man  feel  the  impulse  of  love,  but  this  impulse  is  also 
reflected  in  the  mirror  of  his  soul  wherein  he  beholds  the  beauty  of 
love ;  thus  he  learns  to  cherish  love  and  to  rise  to  the  act  of  loving 
with  full  consciousness. 

Finally,  by  His  providence,  which  is  but  an  eflfect  of  creation, 
the  Father  ordains  that  man  should  meet  man,  come  into  contact 
with  man,  that  in  this  way  the  sense  of  love  may  become  active  in 
him.  For  whether  it  be  a  poor  sufferer  whose  distress  arouses  my 
love,  or  a  bold  character  that  appeals  to  my  sympathy,  or  lastly  a 
pure  and  beautiful  figure  that  attracts  me  irresistibly,  it  is  always 
God  the  Father  who  allots  me  these  meetings,  who  by  His  provi- 
dential leadings  makes  the  kindling  of  love  possible. 

This  is  followed,  in  the  second  place,  by  the  work  of  the  Son,  who 
became  flesh  to  reveal  to  us  the  fulness  of  divine  Love  in  the  flesh. 
Hence  the  manifestation  of  Love  in  the  redemptive  work. 

This  is  entirely  different  from  what  the  Father  did  in  creation ; 
for,  altho  in  creation  divine  love  was  foreshadowed,  its  conception 
implanted,  and  its  imperfect  exercise  made  possible,  yet  the  divine 
Love  itself  was  not  revealed.  But  it  is  revealed  in  the  advent  of 
the  Son :  "  For  God  so  loved  the  world  that  He  gave  His  only-be- 
gotten Son,  that  whosoever  believeth  on  Him  might  not  perish,  but 
have  everlasting  life";  "  Herein  is  love,  not  that  we  loved  God,  but 
that  He  loved  us,  and  gave  us  His  son  to  be  a  propitiation  for  our 
sins."  This  is  the  "Peace  on  earth,  good  will  toward  men"  of 
which  the  angels  sang  in  the  fields  of  Bethlehem;  this  is  the  mys* 
tery  that  the  angels  desire  to  look  into. 

Here  we  notice  again  two  things : 

First,  the  Love  wherewith  God  loved  the  world  proven  by  the 
fact  that  he  spares  not  His  own  Son,  but  delivers  Him  up  for  us  all. 

Second,  the  love  of  Christ  for  the  Father,  whose  work  He  fin- 
ished, axid/or  us,  whom  He  saved. 

The  second  \s  of  greatest  importance  to  us.  In  Christ,  whom  we 
honor  as  God  manifest  in  the  flesh,  the  divine  Love  is  seen;  in  Him 
it  appeared  and  scintillated  with  all-surpassing  brightness.  The 
reality  of  the  divine  Love  appeared  to  men  for  the  first  time  and 
once  for  all  in  Him :  "  That  which  we  have  heard,  which  we  have 
seen  with  our  eyes,  which  we  have  looked  upon  and  our  hands  have 


THE   MANIFESTATION   OF   HOLY   LOVE     519 

handled,  declare  we  unto  you";  and  that  was  always  the  glory  of 
the  eternal  Love  which  had  captivated  and  pervaded  their  whole 
soul. 

Until  now  men  had  walked  in  Love's  shadow,  but  in  Immanuel 
Love  itself  appeared  in  the  flesh  and  after  the  manner  of  men.  It 
was  not  merely  a  radiation  of  Love,  its  reflection,  an  increated  fea- 
ture, sense,  or  inclination,  but  the  fresh,  irresistible  waves  of  Love's 
own  constraining  power  issuing  from  the  depths  of  His  divine 
heart.  It  was  this  Love  which,  in  the  heart  of  Immanuel,  brought 
heaven  down  to  earth,  and  which  by  His  ascension  to  heaven  up- 
lifted our  world  to  the  halls  of  eternal  light.  Even  tho  Europe  had 
felt  nothing  of  it,  and  America  had  never  thought  of  a  Savior,  tho 
Africa  had  not  heard  the  tidings,  and  it  was  but  a  small  spot  in 
Asia  where  His  feet  pressed  the  ground,  yet  it  was  the  heart  of 
Immanuel  that  bound  every  continent  and  the  world — yea,  the  very 
universe  around  it,  to  the  divine  Mercy. 

That  Love  shone  forth  as  a  love  for  an  enemy.  Man  had  become 
the  enemy  of  God:  "  There  is  none  that  doeth  good,  no  not  one." 
The  creature  hated  God.  The  enmity  was  absolute  and  terrible. 
There  was  nothing  in  man  to  attract  God;  rather  everything  to  re- 
pel Him,  And  when  all  was  enmity  and  repulsion,  then  the  Love 
of  God  was  made  manifest  in  that  Christ  died  for  us  when  we  were 
enemies. 

Love  among  men  and  animals  rests  upon  mutual  attraction, 
sympathy,  and  inclination;  even  the  love  that  relieves  the  suflEerer 
feels  the  power  of  it.  But  here  is  .a  love  that  finds  no  attraction 
anywhere,  but  repulsion  everywhere.  And  in  this  fact  sparkles  the 
sovereign  liberty  of  divine  Love :  it  loves  because  it  will  love,  and 
by  loving  saves  the  object  of  its  love. 

Since  this  Love  attained  its  severest  tension  on  Calvary,  its 
symbol  is  and  ever  shall  be  the  Cross,  For  the  Cross  is  the  most 
fearful  manifestation  of  man's  enmity;  and  by  the  very  contrast 
the  beauty  and  adorableness  of  divine  Love  shine  most  gloriously: 
Love  that  suffers  and  bears  everything.  Love  that  can  die  volun- 
tarily, and  in  that  death  heralds  the  dawn  of  a  still  more  glorious 
future. 

But  even  the  work  of  the  Son  does  not  finish  the  work  of  put- 
ting the  impress  of  God's  Love  upon  the  human  heart.  Wherefore, 
as  the  Creation  is  followed  by  the  Incarnation,  so  does  Pentecost 


520  LOVE 

follow  the  Incarnation ;  and  it  is  God  the  Holy  Spirit  who  accom- 
plishes this  third  work  by  His  descent  into  the  heart  of  man. 

"  It  is  expedient  for  you  that  I  go  away ;  for  if  I  go  not  away, 
the  Comforter  will  not  come  unto  you."  This  implies  that  the 
Holy  Ghost  would  give  the  disciples  still  a  higher  good  than  the 
Son  could  give  them.  This  is  not  independently  of  the  Son ;  for 
the  Scripture  teaches  emphatically  that  He  neither  will  nor  can  do 
anything  without  the  Son,  and  that  He  receives  of  the  Son  only  to 
give  unto  us.  However,  the  difference  remains  that,  altho  Jesus 
suffers  and  dies  and  rises  again  for  us,  nevertheless  the  actual  work 
in  the  souls  of  men  awaits  the  gracious  operation  of  the  Holy 
Spirit.  It  is,  as  St.  Paul  writes  to  the  Romans,  that  "  the  Love  of 
God  is  shed  abroad  in  our  hearts  by  the  Holy  Ghost." 

And  this  is  the  proper  work  of  the  Holy  Spirit,  that  shall  re- 
main His  forevermore.  When  there  remains  no  more  sin  to  be 
atoned  for,  nor  any  unholiness  to  be  sanctified,  when  all  the  elect 
shall  jubilate  before  the  throne,  even  then  the  Holy  Spirit  shall 
perform  this  divine  work  of  keeping  the  Love  of  God  actively 
dwelling  in  their  hearts.  How,  we  can  not  tell ;  but  this  we  under- 
stand, that  it  is  the  Holy  Spirit  who,  being  the  same  in  all,  unites 
all  souls  in  blessed  union.  "When  at  the  same  moment  spiritual  life 
is  wrought  in  your  soul  and  mine  and  in  the  souls  of  others,  the  mu- 
tual bond  of  Love  must  be  the  result.  For,  altho  men  and  things 
are  grounded  in  the  Father,  and  the  souls  of  the  redeemed  are 
united  in  the  Son,  yet  personally  to  enter  into  every  soul,  making 
it  His  temple  and  dwelling-place,  is  the  work  of  the  Holy  Spirit. 

Hence  it  is  the  same  Spirit  who  as  God  enters  the  heart  of  every 
one  of  the  redeemed,  and  as  God  performs  and  perfects  His  work 
in  every  heart  irresistibly.  And,  tho  different  circumstances  and 
manifold  sins  have  caused  differences  of  opinion  among  the  persons 
in  whom  the  same  Holy  Spirit  has  been  at  work,  so  that  at  times 
they  have  held  strongly  opposite  views,  yet  the  fact  of  their  inward 
union  remains,  which  by  the  working  and  indwelling  of  the  Holy 
Spirit  in  their  hearts  is  made  a  real  and  even  indissoluble  union. 

This  may  not  always  come  to  the  surface,  but  inwardly  the 
matter  is  all  the  more  real  and  glorious.  Moreover,  the  Holy  Spirit 
is  always  actively  at  work  to  remove  every  outward  obstacle.  And 
if  this  is  not  altogether  a  success  before  we  die,  there  is  no  need  of 
fear  so  long  as  in  death  the  scales  shall,  as  it  were,  fall  from  our 
eyes,  and  Love  shall  conquer.     Compared  to  eternity,  life  on  earth 


THE   MANIFESTATION    OF    HOLY    LOVE     521 

is  but  a  moment.  Hence  it  may  not  be  denied  that  the  bond  of 
union,  the  intertwining  and  interlacing  that  must  bind  the  children 
of  God  together  in  the  divine  fire  of  Love,  is,  by  the  working  and 
indwelling  of  the  self-same  Spirit,  a  real  fact.  It  is  the  self-same 
Holy  Spirit  who,  dwelling  in  every  heart,  directs  them  altogether 
to  one  end,  who,  consecrating  every  soul  to  be  His  tabernacle,  in 
that  He  is  God  and  therefore  Love,  brings  it  about  that,  in  and 
through  and  with  Himself,  the  Love  of  God  is  shed  abroad  in  every 
heart.  Think  of  Him  as  banished  from  their  souls,  and  the  Love  of 
God  has  fled  from  their  hearts ;  but  let  every  grace  be  concealed 
and  slumbering,  let  the  outward  appearance  deny  the  inward  grace, 
so  long  as  we  are  assured  that  the  Holy  Spirit  dwells  in  our  hearts 
we  may  rest  assured  that  even  the  Love  of  God  dwells  in  us. 

Moreover,  the  Holy  Spirit  is  not  a  Stranger  in  our  hearts,  but 
penetrates  our  deepest  selfhood  and  brings  to  each  of  us  a  gift,  a 
word,  a  consolation  peculiarly  adapted  to  our  individual  need.  Of 
course  this  is  a  much  varied  work ;  but,  despite  its  multiformity,  it 
is  not  &  pieced  v^Qx^i  without  inward  connection,  but  an  executing  of 
the  plan  of  the  Father  in  accordance  with  the  eternal  counsel. 
Wherefore,  however  delicate  its  nature  may  be,  it  is  always  aiming 
at  that  pure  and  perfect  harmony  which  in  God's  counsel  is  pre- 
pared not  only  for  every  one  of  the  redeemed,  but  for  the  whole 
house  of  God,  and  the  body  of  Christ  in  all  its  proportions. 

As  the  selfsame  Spirit,  He  not  only  works  in  all,  uniting  all, 
but,  since  He  proceeds  from  Father  and  Son,  He  also  arranges  and 
directs  His  work  in  one  soul  with  regard  to  that  in  another,  so  that 
the  interlacing  and  welding  together  of  the  souls  of  the  saints  must 
be  the  result.  When  according  to  the  same  glorious  plan  one 
Worker  works  in  all,  then  every  wall  of  separation  must  fall ;  Love 
must  prevail,  and  all  its  sweet  and  blessed  influence  be  felt :  not  as 
something  that  proceeds  from  ourselves  and  belongs  to  us,  but  as  a 
Love  even  foreign  to  us,  which  coming  from  God  penetrates  and 
refreshes  the  soul ;  not  the  mere  ideal  of  enthusiasts,  but  a  divine 
power  that  masters  and  overcomes  us ;  not  an  abstract  conception 
merely  charming  us,  but  the  Holy  Spirit  whom  we  feel  and  dis- 
cover in  the  soul  as  Love;  a  warm,  full,  blessed  outpouring  of  Love 
that  is  stronger  than  death  and  that  many  waters  can  not  quench. 


XX. 

God  the  Holy  Spirit  the  Love  which  Dwells  in  the 

Heart. 

"  It  is  like  the  precious  ointment  upon  the 
head,  that  ran  down  upon  the  beard, 
even  Aaron's  beard  ;  that  went  down 
to  the  skirts  of  his  garments." — Psalm 
cxxxiii.  2. 

The  fact  that  love  can  radiate  within  man  does  not  insure  him 
the  possession  of  true  and  real  Love,  unless,  according  to  His  eter- 
nal counsel,  God  is  pleased  to  enter  into  personal  fellowship  with 
him.  So  long  as  man  knows  Him  only  from  afar  and  not  near,  God 
is  a  stranger  to  him.  He  may  admire  His  Love,  have  a  faint  sense 
of  it,  be  pleasantly  affected  by  it,  and  even  rejoice  to  see  others 
drink  from  its  Fountain,  yet  never  come  a  step  nearer  to  it.  In 
God's  hand  he  may  be  the  means  of  showing  others  the  way  to  it, 
without  knowing  it  by  personal  experience. 

The  true  Love  is  one  with  and  inseparable  from  God.  It  may 
radiate  its  brightness  even  in  the  animal,  but  Love  itself  can  not 
enter  the  heart  except  God  come  first.  And  God's  elect  have  the 
royal  privilege  of  calling  this  gift  their  own.  All  their  wealth  and 
treasure  consist  in  the  fact  that  from  the  hand  of  their  Lord  they 
have  received  this  gold  tried  in  the  fire. 

Not,  however,  as  tho  this  love,  wholly  possessing  them,  shall 
henceforth  be  of  all  their  actions  the  only  impulse.  From  St.  Paul 
we  learn  that,  while  the  Love  of  God  is  shed  abroad  in  our  hearts 
by  the  Holy  Ghost,  much  evil  may  be  found  among  us ;  wherefore 
we  are  admonished  to  exercise  patience  and  self-denial.  But  tho, 
like  faith.  Love  may  be  in  the  germ  and  nothing  be  visible  on  the 
surface,  in  the  warm  soil,  germ-like,  it  may  swell,  sprout,  and  strike 
out  its  roots  in  the  ground.  Hence,  however  defective  and  incom- 
plete its  form.  Love  itself  dwells  in  our  hearts;  and  by  our  own 
experience  we  are  conscious  of  it.     Who  of  God's  children  does  not 


LOVE   WHICH    DWELLS    IN   THE    HEART     523 

recall  the  blessed  moments  when  this  Love  fell  upon  the  soul  as 
mild  dew  drops  upon  the  thirsty  leaf,  filling  him  with  a  felicity  un- 
known heretofore?  This  blessed  experience  was  heavenly  and  su- 
pernatural. The  soul  actually  felt  the  everlasting  arms  underneath, 
and  acknowledged  that  God  is  good  and  essentially  Love.  It  is 
true  the  divine  Majesty  as  it  were  consumed  the  soul,  but  at  the 
same  time  it  uplifted  and  glorified  it.  The  soul  realized  that  it  was 
surrounded  by  Love,  iiplifted  above  the  low  plain  of  vanity,  and, 
more  blessed  still,  that  it  had  received  power  to  embrace  God  with 
the  arms  of  its  own  love.  It  is  true  this  does  not  last.  The  eve- 
ning star  of  hope  is  followed  again  and  again  by  the  dawn  of  the 
common,  every-day  life ;  but  by  that  experience  we  have  seen  the 
heavens  opened,  the  sign  of  Eternal  Love  descending,  and  heard 
the  music  of  its  voice  saying:  ''  Behold  your  God" 

Hence  these  two  must  always  go  together :  (i)  Love  shed  abroad 
in  our  hearts  by  the  Holy  Ghost,  and  (2)  the  glad  tidings  that  our 
God  has  come  to  us.  And  these  are  one  and  the  same,  for,  as  we 
have  seen  before,  when  the  Eternal  One  comes  to  dwell  with  man, 
it  is  not  the  Father,  nor  the  Son,  but  the  Holy  Spirit  whose  office 
is  to  enter  into  man's  spirit  and  to  establish  the  most  intimate  rela- 
tion between  him  and  God.  The  Father  and  the  Son  will  also  come 
to  dwell  with  him ;  the  Son  is  even  said  to  stand  at  the  door  and 
knock  waiting  to  be  admitted ;  but  both  Father  and  Son  do  this 
through  the  Holy  Spirit.  These  three  are  One :  the  Holy  Spirit  is 
in  the  creation,  but  only  through  His  essential  union  with  the  Fa- 
ther and  the  Son.  He  is  also  in  the  redemptive  work,  for  He  is 
bound  to  the  pleasure  of  the  Father  and  the  Incarnation  of  the  Son. 
In  like  manner  both  the  Father  and  the  Son  dwell  in  the  saints,  but 
only  through  the  Holy  Spirit. 

If  witnessing  of  the  Holy  Spirit  were  only  momentary,  if  He 
came  to  tarry  only  for  a  night,  the  blessed  work  of  Love  could  not 
be  wrought.  And  if  He  had  to  leave  the  saints  in  one  part  of  the 
world  to  visit  others  in  other  parts,  it  would  be  altogether  out  of 
the  question.  But  He  is  God,  unlimited:  in  my  closet  He  abides 
with  me  just  as  really  as  with  thousands  in  all  parts  of  the  earth  at 
the  same  time ;  and  not  only  with  the  saints  below,  but  in  a  higher 
sense  in  all  the  redeemed  already  arrived  in  the  heavenly  Jerusa- 
lem. As  the  sun  shines  brightly  into  your  chamber,  while  it  radi- 
ates light  and  heat  upon  millions  in  distant  lands,  so  is  the  oper- 


524  LOVE 

ation  of  the  Holy  Spirit  not  local  and  limited,  but  divinely 
omnipresent  in  you  and  me,  tho  neither  knows  the  other's  face  nor 
yet  has  heard  his  name. 

For  the  Holy  Spirit  does  not  dwell  in  our  hearts  as  we  dwell  in 
our  house,  independent  of  it,  walking  through  it,  shortly  to  leave 
it ;  but  He  so  inheres  in  and  cleaves  to  us  that,  tho  we  were  thrown 
into  the  hottest  crucible,  He  and  we  could  not  be  separated.  The 
fiercest  fire  could  not  dissolve  the  union.  Even  the  body  is  called 
the  temple  of  the  Holy  Spirit ;  and  tho  at  death  He  may  leave  it  at 
least  in  part,  to  bring  it  again  in  greater  glory  in  the  resurrection, 
yet  as  far  as  our  inward  man  is  concerned,  He  never  departs  from 
us.     In  that  sense  He  abides  with  us  forever. 

Distressed  and  overwhelmed  by  the  sense  of  guilt  and  shame, 
we  may  cry  with  David :  "  Take  not  Thy  Holy  Spirit  from  me ! " 
but  His  indwelling  in  our  souls  can  not  be  destroyed.  An  ancient 
temple  was  remarkable  for  the  fact  that,  altho  visitors  came  and 
went,  and  successive  generations  brought  their  sacrifices' to  the 
altar,  yet  the  same  idol  remained  for  ages  standing  behind  that  altar 
immovable  and  stedfast.  St.  Paul  wrote  about  the  temple  of  the 
Holy  Spirit,  not  to  the  people  of  Jerusalem,  but  to  the  Corinthi- 
ans ;  wherefore  it  is  evident  that  he  borrowed  his  image  from  the 
idol-temple  in  their  city,  and  not  from  that  of  Jerusalem.  He 
meant  to  say  that,  as  the  image  of  Diana  dwelt  in  the  temple  of 
Corinth  permanently  and  without  being  removed,  so  does  the  Holy 
Spirit  dwell  permanently  and  stedfastly  in  the  souls  of  the  called 
of  God. 

David  says  of  Love :  "  It  is  like  the  precious  ointment  upon  the 
head,  that  ran  down  upon  the  beard,  that  went  down  to  the  skirts  of 
his  garments  "  (Psalm  cxxxiii.  2), — a  figure  not  very  attractive  for  us 
who  are  unfamiliar  with  perfumed  oils.  But  when  you  remember 
that  the  oil  used  for  the  anointing  of  the  high  priest  was  fragrant 
and  volatile,  so  that  when  the  precious  bottle  was  opened  it  filled 
the  whole  house  with  its  fragrance,  you  will  appreciate  the  beauty 
of  the  figure ;  for  when  the  golden  oil  is  poured  out  upon  the  head 
and  runs  down  the  flowing  robe  of  the  high  priest,  its  all-pervading 
fragrance  is  found  the  next  morning  in  the  trailing  hem  of  the  gar- 
ment. The  high  priest,  in  his  robes  of  office,  is  the  image  of  the 
Church  of  the  living  God,  and  his  head  the  image  of  Christ.  The 
anointing  oil  represents  the  Holy  Spirit,  who,  being  poured  out 


LOVE  WHICH    DWELLS    IN   THE    HEART     525 

upon  the  head  of  Christ,  flows  down  from  Him  upon  all  who  belong 
to  His  glorious,  mystical  body;  reaching  down  so  far  that  even  the 
least  esteemed,  who  are  but  as  the  hem  of  His  garment,  are  per- 
vaded by  the  selfsame  precious  ointment. 

This  beautiful  figure  illustrates  the  unity  which,  as  the  fruit  of 
Love,  is  wrought  by  the  selfsame  Holy  Spirit  who  in  all  ages^ 
among  all  nations,  in  all  tongues  and  languages,  enters  into  the 
hearts  of  God's  elect,  abiding  with  them,  planting  Himself  in  them, 
never  to  leave  them ;  who  dwelling  and  working  in  all  not  accord- 
ing to  His  own  choice,  but  according  to  the  disposition  of  the  mem- 
bers in  the  body  of  Christ,  under  Him  as  their  glorious  Head,  has 
established  the  most  blessed  fellowship  between  that  Head  and  the 
members ;  has  entered  every  heart  and  penetrated  to  its  deepest 
stratum ;  has  united  the  whole  assembly  of  the  elect  into  one  glori- 
ous, concordant  whole,  in  perfect  Love,  now  and  forever. 

And  this  mighty  fact,  that  the  selfsame  Holy  Spirit  dwells  and 
works  in  all,  is  not  only  the  prophecy  of  Love,  but  the  demonstra- 
tion of  the  fact  that  Love  exists,  and  that  every  disturbing  element 
is  but  the  dust  that  still  covers  the  diamond,  and  the  dross  that 
prevents  the  glittering  of  the  gold.  God  the  Holy  Spirit  lives,  is. 
and  feels  Himself  One  in  all  God's  children;  and  altho  each  expe- 
riences this  in  his  own  way,  and  expresses  it  in  his  own  tongue,  it 
is  One  and  the  Same  who  comforts  and  works  in  them  all. 

Hence  the  Holy  Spirit  who  dwells  in  us,  loves  His  own  work 
which  He  works  in  others.  The  Holy  Spirit  in  one,  can  not  deny 
Himself  in  another.  From  this  it  follows  that  the  indwelling  of 
the  same  Holy  Spirit  in  all  not  only  guarantees  a  real  and  substan- 
tial unity  for  the  future  and  for  the  present,  whether  visible  or  in- 
visible, but  the  very  fact  itself  causes  the  Love  of  God  to  be  shed 
abroad  in  the  hearts  of  the  saints,  since  the  Holy  Spirit  must  always 
love  Himself. 

If  He  merely  hovered  over  the  surface  of  the  soul's  life,  this 
would  not  mean  much ;  but  there  can  be  no  stratum  in  the  soul  so 
low  that  He  does  not  penetrate  it.  The  fountain  that  He  has 
opened  in  us  pours  forth  from  the  spot  where  the  first  pulsations, 
the  deepest  motives  and  workings  of  the  new  man,  originate.  On 
the  surface  we  may  therefore  cherish  another  love ;  but  when,  de- 
ceived and  disappointed  by  that  love,  with  contrite  hearts  we  feel 
that  the  creature  can  not  be  trusted,  then  we  find  on  the  bottom  of 


526  LOVE 

our  own  soul  the  same  old,  faithful,  blessed,  and  divine  Love  by 
which  the  Holy  Spirit  comforts  us  and  teaches  us  to  comfort  oth- 
ers. Even  tho  at  times  of  indifference  all  may  seem  lost,  we  need 
not  fear,  for  as  soon  as  the  foundations  of  the  soul  are  uncovered 
the  presence  of  that  eternal  Love  manifests  itself.  Underneath,  in 
the  hidden,  mystic  life,  lies  the  foundation  of  all  love  in  the  pres- 
ence of  the  Holy  Spirit. 

God  is  Love,  and  through  the  Holy  Spirit  Love  dwells  in  all 
God's  children;  and  these  children  united  under  their  glorious 
Head  in  one  body  are  one — one  by  the  same  new  birth,  by  the  same 
life,  and  the  same  Love ;  and,  if  it  were  possible  at  once  to  remove 
all  earthly  rubbish  and  pollution,  we  would  see  the  sparkle  of  that 
Love  in  all  and  among  all,  beautiful  and  glorious. 


XXI. 
The  Love  of  the  Holy  Spirit  in  Us. 

««  O  Jerusalem,  Jerusalem,  .  .  .  howoften 
would  I  have  gathered  thy  children 
together,  even  as  a  hen  gathereth  her 
chickens  under  her  wings,  and  ye 
would  not." — Alatt.  xxvii.  37. 

The  Scripture  teaches  not  only  that  the  Holy  Spirit  dwells  in 
us,  and  with  Him  Love,  but  also  that  He  sheds  abroad  that  Love  in 
our  hearts. 

This  shedding  abroad  does  not  refer  to  the  coming  of  the  Holy 
Spirit's  Person,  for  a  person  can  not  be  shed  abroad.  He  comes, 
takes  possession,  and  dwells  in  us ;  but  that  which  is  shed  abroad 
must  consist  of  numberless  particles.  The  verb  "  to  pour  out "  (to 
shed  abroad)  is  used  primarily  of  water,  grain,  or  fruit;  i.e.,  of 
liquids  or  solids  composed  of  parts  or  particles  of  one  kind,  passing 
from  one  vessel  into  another.  In  Scripture  the  verb  is  used  meta- 
phorically. Hannah  said :  "  I  have  poured  out  my  soul  before  the 
Lord";  the  Psalmist:  *' Pour  out  your  heart  before  Kim";  Isaiah: 
"They  poured  out  a  prayer  before  Him."  "To  pour  out  "always 
signifies  that  the  heart  is  filled  to  overflowing  with  so  many  com- 
plaints, cares,  griefs,  or  distresses  that  it  can  no  longer  contain 
them,  but  pours  them  out  before  God  or  men  in  groans  and  prayers. 

With  reference  to  God,  we  read  that  He  poured  out  the  fierce- 
ness of  His  anger  upon  His  enemies;  and  again,  "that  He  shall 
pour  out  the  Spirit  of  prayer  and  supplication."  In  the  first  pas- 
sage, the  metaphor  is  borrowed  from  the  hail-storm  which  over- 
takes the  traveler  and  prostrates  him.  So  shall  the  blows  of  di- 
vine wrath  descend  like  hail  upon  the  heads  of  its  enemies  and 
prostrate  them.  And  in  the  second  it  is  signified  that  with  over- 
whelming power  His  people  shall  be  constrained  to  prayer. 

In  this  latter  sense,  the  Scripture  frequently  applies  it  to  the 
advent  of  the  Holy  Spirit.  Both  prophets  and  apostles  declare 
that  the  Lord  shall  pour  out  His  Spirit  upon  all.     Finally,  we  read 


528  LOVE 

that  the  Holy  Spirit  was  poured  out.  But  even  here  \hQ  primary 
meaning  of  the  word  must  be  retained,  for  by  the  outpouring  of  the 
Holy  Spirit  we  understand  the  flowing  down  into  our  hearts,  or  into 
the  Church,  of  a  multitude  of  powers  of  the  same  kind  that  fill  the 
emptiness  of  the  soul. 

It  may  be  objected — and  this  deserves  careful  consideration — 
that  in  this  thought  we  contradict  our  former  statement,  that  it 
is  the  Holy  Spirit,  the  Third  Person  in  the  Trinity,  who  takes  pos- 
session of  the  heart  and  dwells  therein ;  for  we  now  say  that  it  is, 
not  the  Person  who  cojnes  in,  but  a  working,  an  element,  a  power 
which  Ks  poured  out.  But,  instead  of  being  contradictory,  these  two 
are  the  same;  only,  by  their  mutual  connection,  they  give  us  a 
more  correct  insight — and  that  is  just  what  we  need.  When  I  carry 
a  lighted  lamp  into  a  dark  room,  /  enter  as  the  light-bearer,  while 
at  the  same  moment  the  light  is  poured  out  in  the  room.  These 
two  should  not  be  confounded.  I  am  not  poured  out,  but  the  light. 
I  enter  the  room,  but  the  light  is  carried  into  it.  And  this  is  ex- 
actly what  the  Holy  Spirit  does.  When  He  enters  the  heart  the 
brightness  of  His  Person  is  poured  out  therein. 

It  is  true  that  in  these  cases  the  Holy  Spirit  is  mentioned  in  a 
somewhat  modified  sense,  but  when  we  speak  of  the  light  the  same 
is  true.  Of  an  approaching  light  we  say,  "  There  comes  the  light," 
altho  we  know  that  some  one  carries  the  light.  At  sunrise  we  say, 
"  The  sun  is  rising,"  altho  it  would  be  more  correct  to  say:  "  The 
light  of  the  sun  is  rising."  In  like  manner  the  name  of  the  Holy 
Spirit  is  used  in  Scripture  in  a  twofold  way :  first,  with  reference 
to  the  Third  Person  in  the  Trinity ;  secondly,  with  reference  to  the 
heavenly  brightness  and  blessed  activity  which  He  carries  with 
Himself.  And  instead  of  being  more  or  less  incorrect,  this  two- 
fold use  of  the  name  is  much  more  correct  with  reference  to  the 
Holy  Spirit  than  when  it  refers  to  artificial  light  or  to  the  sun. 
We  should  remember  that  there  is  a  difference  between  the  lamp 
and  its  radiating  light ;  and  that  the  immense  body  of  the  sun  and 
its  light  are  also  two  different  things.  But  this  is  not  so  with  ref- 
erence to  the  Holy  Spirit.  There  is  no  difference  between  Himself 
and  His  operations.  We  make  the  distinction  to  assist  our  repre- 
sentation, but  in  reality  it  has  no  existence.  Where  the  Holy  Spirit 
is,  there  He  works;  and  where  He  works,  there  is  the  Holy  Spirit. 
They  are  the  same.     The  one  is  even  unthinkable  without  the  other. 


THE    LOVE    OF    THE    HOLY    SPIRIT    IN    US     529 

There  is  an  advantage  in  the  use  of  the  metaphor  "  to  pour  out." 
It  teaches  that  the  dwelling  of  the  Holy  Spirit  in  the  congregation  of 
the  elect  is  neither  inactive,  nor  from  compulsion  keeping  himself 
aloof  from  their  persons ;  but  that  He  can  not  come  among  them 
without  pouring  Himself  out  in  them.  And,  dwelling  in  the  elect. 
He  does  not  slumber,  nor  does  He  keep  an  eternal  Sabbath,  in  idle- 
ness shutting  Himself  up  in  their  hearts ;  but  as  the  divine  Worker 
He  seeks  from  within  to  fill  their  individual  persons,  pouring  the 
stream  of  His  divine  brightness  through  every  space. 

But  we  should  not  imagine  that  every  believer  is  instantly  filled 
and  permeated  with  that  brightness.  On  the  contrary,  the  Holy 
Spirit  finds  him  filled  with  all  manner  of  evil  and  treachery.  In- 
iquities are  piled  up  on  every  side.  Horrible  sins  rise  from  under- 
neath. The  consciousness  of  his  bitter,  spiritual  misery  harasses 
him.  Moreover,  his  heart  is  divided  by  many  walls  and  partitions. 
Even  the  brightest  light  can  not  penetrate  the  whole  at  once ;  and 
by  far  the  greater  part  remains  for  the  present  at  least  in  deepest 
darkness. 

From  this  it  follows  that,  when  the  Holy  Spirit  has  entered 
man's  heart.  His  task  is  not  ended,  but  only  just  begun— a  task  so 
difficult  that  the  power  of  the  Holy  Spirit  alone  can  perform  it. 
His  method  of  procedure  is  not  with  divine  power  to  force  a  man 
as  tho  he  were  a  stock  or  block,  but  by  the  power  of  love  and  com- 
passion so  to  influence  and  energize  the  impulses  of  the  feeble  will 
that  it  feels  the  effect,  is  inclined,  and  finally  consents  to  be  the 
temple  of  the  Holy  Spirit. 

Being  once  firmly  established,  He  gradually  subjects  the  most 
hidden  impulses  and  intentions  of  the  saint's  personality  to  the 
power  of  His  Love,  in  order  thus  to  prevail.  For  this  end  He  uses 
at  once  the  external  means  of  the  preached  Word  which  penetrates 
the  consciousness  and  takes  hold  of  the  person,  and  the  internal 
operation  of  blessing  the  Word  and  making  it  effectual.  This  oper- 
ation is  different  in  each  person.  In  one  it  proceeds  with  marvelous 
rapidity ;  in  another,  progress  is  exceedingly  slow,  being  checked 
by  serious  reaction  which  in  some  rare  cases  is  overcome  only  with 
the  last  breath.  There  are  scarcely  two  men  in  whom  this  gracious 
operation  is  completely  the  same. 

It  may  not  be  denied  that  the  Holy  Spirit  often  meets  serious 
opposition  on  the  part  of  the  saint :  not  from  enmity,  for  he  is  an 
34 


530  LOVE 

enemy  no  more,  but  because  he  is  commanded  to  depart  from  sin, 
to  renounce  his  idols,  his  sinful  affections,  the  many  things  that 
seem  indispensable  to  his  joy  and  life,  and  especially  when,  point- 
ing to  the  cross,  the  Holy  Spirit  imposes  sacrifices,  pursues  him 
with  afflictions,  covers  him  with  ignominy.  Then  that  opposition 
can  become  so  strong  and  grievous  that  one  would  almost  say: 
"  He  is  no  more  a  child  of  God." 

And  the  Holy  Spirit  bears  all  this  resistance  with  infinite  pity, 
and  overcomes  it  and  casts  it  out  with  eternal  mercy.  Who  that 
is  not  a  stranger  to  his  own  heart  does  not  remember  how  many 
years  it  took  before  he  would  yield  a  certain  point  of  resistance ;  how 
he  always  avoided  facing  it,  restlessly  opposed  it,  at  last  thought 
to  end  the  matter  by  arranging  for  a  sort  of  modus  vivendi  between 
himself  and  the  Holy  Spirit?  But  the  Holy  Spirit  did  not  cease, 
gave  him  no  rest;  again  and  again  that  familiar  knock  was  heard, 
the  calling  in  his  heart  of  that  familiar  voice.  And  after  years  of 
resistance  he  could  not  but  yield  in  the  end ;  it  became  like  fire  in 
his  bones,  and  he  cried  out :  "  Thou,  Lord,  art  stronger  than  I  j  Thou 
hast  prevailed. " 

In  this  way  the  Holy  Spirit  breaks  down  every  wall  of  partition, 
pouring  out  His  light  in  all  the  heart's  empty  spaces,  gradually 
opening  every  door,  gaining  access  to  the  soul's  most  secret  cham- 
bers, even  to  the  vaults  underneath  the  structure  of  our  being,  un- 
til finally,  either  before  or  in  death,  the  outpouring  of  His  bright- 
ness is  complete  in  all  our  personality,  and  the  whole  heart  has 
become  His  temple. 

This  task  is  executed  only  by  means  of  Love.  The  Holy  Spirit 
allows  Himself  to  be  grieved,  provoked,  and  insulted ;  but  He  never 
yields.  He  is  never  weary  of  repeating  the  same  thing  to  the  ear 
that  once  was  deaf.  In  our  past  or  present  there  can  be  no  sin, 
however  base,  of  which  He  does  not  comfort  us,  which  He  does  not 
pardon.  He  g^ives  healing  balm  for  every  inward  wound.  He  al- 
ways has  a  word  in  good  season  for  all  that  are  weary.  It  is  Love 
always  filling  us  with  shame;  but  at  the  same  time  ever  uplifting, 
never  despairing,  unceasing  in  its  devotion. 

It  is  not  merely  a  Love  for  men  in  general,  but  in  the  most  ex- 
clusive sense  a  personal  Love  for  the  individual ;  not  only  Love  for 
the  redeemed  taken  as  a  multitude,  but  a  Love  individual,  pecul- 
iarly tinted  to  meet  the  special  peculiarity  of  our  being.  It  is  not 
only  a  pity  for  all  who  suffer,  like  that  of  the  nurse  for  the  patients 


THE    LOVE    OF   THE    HOLY    SPIRIT    IN    US     531 

of  her  ward,  but  Love  that  can  not  meet  the  need  of  any  one  else, 
but  is  for  me  personally  just  what  it  must  and  can  not  other- 
wise be. 

Hence  the  divine  patience  in  winning  thee.  One  might  say : 
"  There  are  thousands  of  others  whom  He  might  take  and  influence 
with  much  less  trouble  perhaps."  But  that  is  not  the  question. 
With  all  the  depth  of  His  divine  Love  He  sought  thee  personally. 
It  is  Love  in  the  richest,  purest,  tenderest  sense  of  the  word. 

The  Holy  Spirit  prevails  by  loving  us,  by  proving  His  Love,  by 
breathing  Love,  while,  at  the  same  time,  His  victory  carries  Love 
into  our  hearts.  Allow  Him  to  enter  your  soul,  and  He  will  carry 
Love  therein,  which  imperceptibly  imparts  itself  to  your  heart  and 
inclination.  We  yield,  not  because  we  are  compelled  by  superior 
power,  but  being  drawn  by  Love,  we  are  so  affected  that  we  can 
not  resist  it. 

And  this  is  the  glorious,  divine,  and  beautiful  art  of  which  the 
Holy  Spirit  is  the  chief  Artist.  He  alone  understands  it,  and  they 
whom  He  has  taught.  All  other  love  is  but  a  feeble  shadow  or 
faint  imitation.  Not  until  through  Love  the  Holy  Spirit  has  pre- 
vailed can  Love  enter  our  hearts,  and  then  we,  the  formerly  sinful 
and  selfish,  learn  to  appreciate  Love. 


XXII. 
Love  and  the  Comforter. 

*'  By  the  Holy  Ghost,  by  love  un- 
feigned."— 2  Cor.  vi.  6. 

The  question  is,  "  In  what  sense  is  the  pouring  out  of  Love  an 
ever-continued,  never-finished  work? 

Love  is  here  taken  in  its  highest,  purest  sense.  Love  which 
gives  its  goods  to  the  poor  and  its  body  to  be  burned  is  out  of  the 
question.  St.  Paul  declares  that  one  may  do  these  things  and  still 
be  nothing  more  than  a  sounding  brass,  utterly  devoid  of  the  least 
spark  of  the  true  and  real  Love. 

In  2  Cor,  vi.  6  the  apostle  mentions  the  motives  of  his  zeal  for 
the  cause  of  Christ;  and  it  is  remarkable  that  among  them  he  men- 
tions these  three,  in  the  following  order :  "  By  goodness,  by  the  Holy 
Ghost,  by  love  unfeigned."  Goodness  indicates  general  benevolence 
and  readiness  to  sacrifice ;  of  these  we  find  among  worldly  men 
many  examples  that  make  us  ashamed.  Then  comes  the  stimula- 
ting and  animating  influences  of  the  Holy  Spirit ;  lastly,  Love  un- 
feigned which  is  the    true,  real,  and  divine  Love. 

In  his  hymn  of  eternal  Love  the  apostle  gives  us  an  exquisite 
delineation  of  this  "  Love  unfeigned,"  which  shall  not  cease  to  com- 
mand the  admiration  of  the  saints  on  earth  as  long  as  taste  for 
heavenly  melodies  shall  dwell  in  their  hearts : 

"Love  suffereth  long  and  is  kind;  Love  envieth  not;  Love 
vaunted  not  itself,  is  not  puffed  up,  doth  not  behave  itself  un- 
seemly, seeketh  not  her  own;  is  not  easily  provoked;  thinketh  no 
evil;  rejoiceth  not  in  iniquity,  but  rejoiceth  in  the  truth;  beareth 
all  things,  believeth  all  things,  hopeth  all  things,  endureth  all 
things.  Love  never  faileth.  .  .  .  For  now  we  see  in  a  mirror, 
darkly ;  but  then  face  to  face ;  now  I  know  in  part,  but  then  I  shall 
know  even  as  also  I  am  known.  And  now  abideth  faith,  hope,  and 
love,  these  three;  but  the  greatest  of  these  is  Love." 

This  teaches  how  the  Holy  Spirit  performs  His  work  of  Love. 


LOVE   AND   THE   COMFORTER  533 

And  so,  says  the  apostle,  must  the  fruit  of  His  work  be  in  our 
hearts.  Very  well ;  if  such  is  the  glorious  fruit  of  His  work  and 
men  know  the  tree  by  its  fruit,  may  we  not  conclude  that  this  is 
but  the  description  of  His  own  work  of  Love? 

The  means  employed  by  the  Holy  Spirit  in  the  shedding  abroad 
of  the  Love  of  God  in  our  hearts  is  simply  Love.  By  loving  us  He 
teaches  love.  By  applying  love  to  us,  by  expending  love  upon  us. 
He  inculcates  love  on  us.  It  is  the  Love  of  the  Holy  Spirit  whereby 
the  shedding  abroad  of  love  in  our  hearts  has  become  possible.  As, 
according  to  i  Cor.  xiii..  Love  ought  to  manifest  itself  in  our  lives, 
so  has  the  Holy  Spirit  wrought  it  in  our  hearts.  With  endless  long- 
suffering  and  touching  kindness  He  sought  to  win  us.  Of  the  love 
which  we  gave  to  the  Father  and  the  Son  He  was  never  envious, 
but  rejoiced  in  it.  His  Love  never  made  a  display  of  us  by  leading 
us  into  unendurable  temptations.  It  never  impressed  us  as  being 
self-seeking,  but  always  as  minister irig  love.  It  ever  accommodated 
itself  to  the  needs  and  conditions  of  our  hearts.  However  much 
grieved,  it  was  never  provoked.  It  never  misunderstood  or  sus- 
pected us,  but  ever  stimulated  us  to  new  hope.  Wherefore  it  re- 
joiced not  in  iniquity  to  sanctify  it,  but  when  the  truth  prevailed 
in  us.  And  when  we  had  strayed  and  done  wrong,  it  covered  the 
wrong  whispering  in  our  ear  that  it  still  believed  and  hoped  all 
good  things  of  us.  Wherefore  it  endured  in  us  all  evil,  all  unlove- 
liness,  all  contradictions.  It  failed  us  not  as  a  lamp  that  goes  out 
in  the  dark.  The  Love  of  the  Holy  Spirit  7iever  faileth.  And  while 
we  enjoy  here  all  its  sweetness  and  tenderness,  it  prophesies  that 
only  hereafter  it  will  manifest  the  fulness  of  its  brightness  and 
glory,  for  on  earth  it  is  only  known  in  part.  Its  perfect  bliss  shall 
appear  only  when,  looking  no  more  by  means  of  the  glass  at  the 
phenomenal,  we  shall  behold  the  eternal  verities.  For  whatever 
may  fail,  being  among  all  our  spiritual  blessings  the  highest,  the 
richest,  and  therefore  the  greatest.  Love  shall  abide  forever. 

In  this  way  we  begin  to  understand  something  of  Comfort. 
Christ  calls  the  Holy  Spirit  the  "Comforter."  He  says:  "  I  will 
send  you  another  Comforter,  and  He  will  abide  with  you  forever." 

This  does  not  refer  to  the  "  only  comfort  in  life  and  death,"  for 
that  consists  in  "  that  I  am  not  my  own,  but  belong  unto  my  faith- 
ful Savior  Jesus  Christ"  (Heid.  Cat.,  q.  i).  Christ  speaks,  not  of 
comfort,  but  of  the  Comforter.     Not  a  thing,  an  event,  or  a  fact, 


534  LOVE 

such  as  the  paying  of  the  ransom  of  Calvary,  but  of  a  Person,  who 
by  His  personal  appearance  actually  comes  to  comfort  us.  Over- 
whelmed by  distress  and  sorrow,  we  have  not  lost  the  comfort,  for 
nothing  can  come  to  us  without  the  will  of  our  heavenly  Father ; 
but  we  may  have  lost  the  Comforter.  It  is  one  thing  to  be  watch- 
ing by  the  bedside  of  my  sick  child,  and  to  remember  that  even  this 
affliction  maybe  to  God's  glory  and  a  blessing  to  the  child;  and 
quite  another  when  a  faithful  parent  enters  the  room,  and  seeing 
my  tears  wipes  them  away ;  reading  my  sorrow  seeks  to  drive  it 
from  my  heart;  with  the  warmth  of  his  love  cherishing  me  in  the 
coldness  of  my  desolation ;  and  leaning  my  head  against  his  breast 
looks  me  hopefully  in  the  eye ;  and  smoothing  my  brow,  with  holy 
animation,  points  me  to  heaven,  inspiring  me  with  trust  in  my 
heavenly  Father. 

Comfort  is  a  deposited  treasure  from  which  I  can  borrow ;  it  is 
like  the  sacrifice  of  Christ  in  whom  is  all  my  comfort,  because  on 
Calvary  He  opened  to  all  the  house  of  Israel  a  fountain  for  sin  and 
uncleanness.  But  a  comforter  is  o.  person,  who,  when  I  can  not  go 
to  the  fountain  nor  even  see  it,  goes  for  me  and  fills  his  pitcher  and 
puts  the  refreshing  drops  to  my  burning  lips.  When  Ishmael  lay 
perishing  with  thirst,  his  mother's  comfort  was  near  by  in  the  cleft 
of  the  rock  from  which  the  water  came  gfushing  down ;  yet  with 
comfort  so  near  he  might  have  died.  But  when  the  angel  of  the 
Lord  appeared  and  showed  her  the  water,  then  Hagar  had  found 
her  Comforter. 

And  such  is  the  Holy  Spirit.  So  long  as  Jesus  walked  on  earth 
He  was  the  Comforter  of  His  disciples.  He  lifted  them  when  they 
stumbled ;  when  discouraged  and  distressed  by  fear  and  doubt.  He 
was  their  faithful  Savior  and  Comforter.  But  Himself  was  not 
comforted.  When  in  Gethsemane,  being  exceedingly  sorrowful 
even  unto  death.  He  asked  them  for  comfort,  they  could  not  give 
it  to  Him.  They  were  powerless ;  they  slept  and  could  not  watch 
with  Him  one  hour.  So  He  struggled  alone,  uncomforted  and  com- 
fortless, until  an  angel  came  and  did  what  sinners  could  not  do, 
comforting  the  Savior  in  His  distress. 

When  about  to  depart  from  the  earth,  Jesus  foreknew  how  deso- 
late His  disciples  would  be.  They  were  weak,  helpless,  broken 
reeds.  As  the  slender  vine  clings  to  the  oak,  so  they  cling  to  their 
Lord.     And  now.  as  the  tree  was  to  be  removed  and  the  vines 


LOVE   AND  THE   COMFORTER  535 

would  lie  on  the  ground  a  tangled  mass,  they  needed  to  be  com- 
forted as  one  whom  his  mother  comforts.  And  were  they  now  to 
be  left  as  orphans,  since  He  who  had  comforted  them  even  more 
tenderly  than  a  mother  was  to  go  away?  And  Jesus  answers: 
"  No.  I  will  not  leave  you  orphans,  I  will  send  you  another  Com- 
forter, that  He  may  abide  with  you  forever." 

Thus  the  deep  meaning  of  Christ's  word,  that  the  Holy  Spirit  is 
our  Comforter,  naturally  discloses  itself.  Of  course,  in  order  to 
comfort  us  He  must  personally  be  with  us.  One  can  comfort  only 
by  means  of  love.  It  is  the  lifting  of  the  too  heavy  cross  from  the 
shoulders,  the  constant  whispering  of  loving  words,  the  gathering  of 
tears,  the  patient  listening  to  the  complaints  of  our  affliction,  the 
sympathizing  with  our  suffering,  the  being  oppressed  with  our  dis- 
tresses, the  identification  with  our  suffering  person.  Surely,  even 
a  gift  can  afford  comfort;  a  letter  from  a  distant  land  can  cast  a  ray 
of  hope  into  the  troubled  soul;  but  to  comfort  us  in  such  a  way  that 
the  burden  falls  from  the  shoulder,  and  the  soul  revives  and  loves, 
in  its  love  expecting  to  rejoice— such  comfort  we  can  expect  only 
from  the  living  person  who,  coming  to  us  with  the  key  to  our  heart, 
cherishes  us  with  the  warmth  of  his  own  soul. 

And  since  no  one  else  can  always  be  with  us,  wholly  enter  into 
our  sorrows,  fully  understand  and  comfort  us  with  infinite  love, 
therefore  is  the  Holy  Spirit  the  Comforter.  He  abides  with  us  for- 
ever, enters  the  deep  places  of  every  soul,  listens  to  every  throb  of 
the  heart,  is  able  to  relieve  us  of  all  our  cares,  takes  all  our  troubles 
upon  Himself,  and  by  His  tender  and  divinely  loving  words  and 
sweet  communion  raises  us  out  of  our  comfortless  condition. 

This  glorious  work  of  the  Holy  Spirit  must  be  studied  with  ex- 
treme carefulness. 

You  can  compare  it,  not  to  that  of  the  artist  who  chisels  a  statue 
out  of  marble,  but  to  that  of  the  godly  mother  who  with  sacrifi- 
cing love  studies  the  characters  of  her  children,  watches  over  their 
souls  while  they  themselves  have  no  thought  of  it,  nurses  them  in 
sickness,  prays  with  them  and  for  them  so  that  they  might  learn  to 
pray  for  themselves,  bends  a  listening  ear  to  their  trifling  griefs, 
and  who  in  and  through  all  this  spends  the  energy  of  her  soul  with 
warnings  and  admonitions,  now  chiding,  then  caressing,  to  draw 
their  souls  to  God. 

And  yet,  even  this  is  no  comparison ;  for  all  the  sacrifices  of  the 


536  LOVE 

godliest  mother,  and  all  the  comfort  wherewith  she  comforts  her 
children,  are  utterly  nothing  compared  to  the  delightful  and  divine 
comfort  of  the  Holy  Spirit. 

Oh,  that  Comforter,  the  Holy  Ghost,  who  never  ceases  to  care 
for  God's  children,  who  ever  resumes  with  new  animation  the 
weaving  of  their  soul-garments,  even  tho  their  wilfulness  has 
broken  the  threads!  On  earth  there  is  no  suitable  comparison 
for  it.  In  the  human  life  there  may  be  a  type  somewhere ;  but  a 
full-sized  image  to  measure  this  divine  comfort  there  is  not.  It  is 
wholly  unique,  wholly  divine,  the  measure  of  all  other  comfort. 
The  comfort  wherewith  we  comfort  others  has  value  and  signifi- 
cance only  when  it  is  bright  with  the  spark  of  the  divine  comfort. 

The  Song  of  Songs  contains  a  description  of  the  tender  love  of 
Immanuel  for  His  Church :  He,  the  Bridegroom  who  calls  for  the 
bride ;  she,  the  bride  who  pines  with  love  for  her  God-given  Bride- 
groom. This  is,  therefore,  something  entirely  different :  the  love, 
not  of  comfort,  but  of  the  tenderest,  most  intimate  communion  and 
mutual  belonging  together ;  the  one  not  happy  without  the  other ; 
both  destined  for  each  other ;  by  the  divine  ordinance  united,  and  by 
virtue  of  that  same  ordinance  wretched  unless  the  one  possesses  the 
other.  Such  is  not  the  Holy  Spirit's  love  in  the  comforting.  The 
communion  of  Christ  and  the  Church  is  for  time  and  eternity;  but 
the  comfort  of  the  Holy  Ghost  will  cease — not  His  work  of  love, 
but  that  of  the  comforting.  Comfort  can  be  administered  only  so 
long  as  there  is  one  uncomforted  and  comfortless.  So  long  as 
Israel  must  pray  to  be  delivered  from  iniquities ;  so  long  as  tears 
flow ;  so  long  as  there  is  bitter  sorrow  and  distress, — so  long  will  the 
Holy  Spirit  be  our  Comforter. 

But  when  sin  is  ended  and  misery  is  no  more,  when  death  is 
abolished  and  the  last  sorrow  is  endured  and  the  last  tear  wiped 
away,  then,  I  ask,  what  remains  there  for  the  Holy  Spirit  to  com- 
fort?   How  could  there  still  be  room  for  a  Comforter? 

To  the  question.  Why,  then,  did  the  Lord  say,  "  I  will  send  you 
another  Comforter,  that  He  may  abide  with  you  forei'er "  ?  I  an- 
swer with  another  question:  Is  it  to  the  honor  of  a  child  that, 
while  he  cries  for  his  mother's  comfort,  he  forgets  her  as  soon  as 
the  sorrow  is  past  ?  This  can  not  be ;  this  would  be  a  denial  of 
the  nature  of  love.  He  that  is  truly  comforted  entertains  for  his 
comforter  such  intense  feeling  of  gratitude,  obligation,  and  attach- 


LOVE   AND   THE    COMFORTER  537 

ment  that  he  can  not  be  silent,  but  after  having  enjoyed  the  com- 
fort craves  also  the  sweetness  of  love.  The  same  is  true  regarding 
the  Holy  Spirit.  When  He  shall  have  comforted  us  from  our  last 
distress,  and  removed  us  from  sorrow  forever,  then  we  can  not 
say,  "O  Holy  Spirit,  now  Thou  maj'est  depart  in  peace";  but  we 
shall  be  constrained  to  cry,  "  Oh,  refresh  and  enrich  us  now  with 
Thy  Love  forever!" 

This  would  not  be  so  if  sin  still  dwelled  in  us ;  for  sin  makes 
one  so  unthankful  and  self-sufficient  that  after  having  tasted  the 
comfort  he  can  forget  the  Comforter.  But  among  the  blessed  there 
is  no  ingratitude;  but  from  deep  inward  compulsion  we  shall  love 
and  laud  Him  who,  with  captivating  love,  has  divinely  comfort- 
ed us. 

Hence  a  Comforter  who  is  to  depart  after  having  comforted  us 
can  not  be  the  Comforter  of  God's  children.  Wherefore  Jesus  as- 
sured His  disciples :  "  I  will  not  leave  you  comfortless.  I  will  send 
you  another  Comforter,  that  He  may  abide  with  you  forever  " 


XXIII. 
The  Greatest  of  These  Is  Love. 

"The  gp-eatest  of  these  is  Love."— 
I  Cor.   xiii.  13. 

That  the  shedding  abroad  of  Love  and  the  glowing  of  its  fire 
through  the  heart  is  the  eternal  work  of  the  Holy  Spirit,  is  stated 
by  no  one  so  pithily  as  by  St.  Paul  in  the  closing  verse  of  his  hymn 
of  Love.  Faith,  Hope,  and  Love  are  God's  most  precious  gifts, 
but  Love  far  surpasses  the  others  in  preciousness.  Compared  with 
all  heavenly  gifts.  Faith,  Hope,  and  Love  stand  highest,  but  of  these 
three  Love  is  the  greatest.  All  spiritual  gifts  are  precious,  and  with 
holy  jealousy  the  apostle  covets  them,  especially  the  gift  of  prophe- 
sying; but,  among  the  various  paths  of  obtaining  spiritual  gifts,  he 
knows  a  way  still  more  excellent,  viz.,  the  royal  road  of  Love. 

We  know  that  some  deny  us  the  right  thus  to  interpret  the  thir- 
teenth verse ;  but  with  little  effect.  To  assert  that  in  the  heavenly 
life  faith  and  hope,  like  Love,  will  abide  forever,  opposes  the  gen- 
eral teaching  of  the  Scripture,  and  especially  of  St.  Paul's  course  of 
reasoning.  In  his  Epistle  to  the  Corinthians,  he  opposes  faith  to 
sight,  saying,  "  We  walk  by  faith,  not  by  sight";  wherefore  he  can 
not  mean  that  after  all  faith  shall  continue  when  turned  into  sight. 
If  faith  is  the  evidence  of  things  not  seen,  how  can  it  continue  when 
we  shall  see  face  to  face?  How  is  it  possible  to  maintain  that  St. 
Paul  represents  faith  as  an  eternal  gift  when  in  the  twelfth  verse 
he  says,  "  Then  we  shall  know  even  as  we  are  known  "  ?  And  he 
makes  the  same  representation  with  reference  to  hope,  "  For  we 
are  saved  by  hope,"  adding,  "  Hope  which  is  seen  is  no  hope,  for 
what  a  man  seeth  why  doth  he  yet  hope  for?"  (Rom.  viii.  24). 
Wherefore  faith  and  hope  can  not  be  represented  as  abiding  and 
enduring  elements  in  our  spiritual  treasure.  Neither  faith  nor  hope 
belongs  to  the  inheritance  bequeathed  to  us  by  testament.  They 
are  springs  of  spiritual  life  and  joy  to  us  now,  because  we  do  not 
yet  possess  the  inheritance ;  but  when  once  the  inheritance  is  ours, 


THE   GREATEST   OF   THESE    IS    LOVE       539 

why  should  we  still  care  for  the  will?  As  proof  and  earnest  that 
the  inheritance  can  not  be  lost,  the  will  is  very  precious  to  us ;  but 
when  the  inheritance  is  delivered  into  our  hands  it  is  mere  waste 
paper,  and  only  the  inheritance  is  of  value. 

Even  Drs.  Beets  and  Van  Oosterzee,  altho  they  choose  to  walk  in 
paths  somewhat  different  from  those  of  the  fathers,  fully  concede 
this  point,  as  their  beautiful  comments  on  the  last  verse  of  i  Cor. 
xiii.  plainly  show.      Dr.  Beets  writes : 

"  Without  apparent  cause,  at  the  end  of  a  digression  upon  the  excel- 
lency of  love,  the  apostle  mentions  faith  and  hope  before  love.  It  is  evi- 
dent that,  while  thinking  of  the  latter,  he  can  not  overlook  the  former. 
May  we  not  infer  from  this  that  faith  and  hope  are  just  as  essential  to  the 
Christian  as  love?  A  Christian  without  love  !  It  is  indeed  a  contradiction 
of  terms.  The  apostle  says :  '  He  that  hath  not  love  is  nothing. '  How 
could  he  be  a  Christian?  Ah,  what  deception,  what  hypocrisy,  what  hor- 
rible sin  to  disguise  a  life  without  love,  a  loveless  heart  under  the  Chris- 
tian name  !  But  what  do  you  think  of  a  Christian  without  hope?  Is  not 
this  just  as  absurd  and  just  as  offensive?  What !  Life  and  immortality 
brought  to  light  by  Jesus  Christ ;  He  the  Resurrection  and  the  Life,  having 
the  words  of  eternal  life  ;  His  Evangel  the  glad  tidings  of  the  forgiveness 
of  sin,  of  reconciliation  to  God,  of  an  opened  heaven  of  bliss  ;  and  still  it 
is  thought  possible  that  amid  present  suffering  and  sorrow  a  Christian 
can  live  without  the  delightful  prospect  and  expectation  of  such  a  glorious 
future!  Without  hope!  Is  this  not  a  fatal  feature  in  the  apostle's  sad 
picture  of  the  blind  heathen?  Is  it  not  the  same  as  to  be  without  Christ? 
without  God?  Surely  without  Christ  no  man  can  know  this  hope,  and  no 
one  who  knows  Christ  can  be  without  it. 

"  And  again,  can  one  be  a  Christian  without  faith  in  God,  who  '  so  loved 
the  world  that  He  gave  His  only-begotten  Son,  that  whosoever  believeth 
on  Him  should  not  perish,  but  have  everlasting  life  '  ?  without  faith  in 
Christ  who  has  said,  '  Let  not  your  heart  be  troubled  ;  ye  believe  in  God, 
believe  also  in  Me  '  ?  without  faith  in  that  faithful  and  true  word  of  the 
divine  promise  which  centers  in  the  fact  that  Jesus  Christ  has  come  into 
the  world  to  save  sinners?  a  Christian  without  faith— I  do  not  say  power 
of  faith  by  which  he  can  remove  mountains,  but  without  faith  which  is 
the  evidence  of  things  not  seen?  Reader,  if  perhaps  you  are  such  a  Chris- 
tian, what  is  your  Christianity?  What  profit  is  it  to  you?  With  what 
right,  with  what  conscience,  with  what  purpose  do  you  persist  in  claiming 
the  name  of  a  Christian?  A  Christian  without  faith  is  one  without  hope  ; 
and  as  such  he  is  a  mortal,  a  sinner  without  comfort  in  life  and  death. 

"  Perhaps  some  one  will  answer :  '  Even  as  such  my  Christianity  may 
be  a  g^eat  deal  to  me,  and  serve  me  the  highest  and  best  purpose,  if  it 


540  LOVE 

only  cause  me  to  go  on  to  love.  Even  tho  I  had  faith  so  that  I  could  move 
mountains,  and  had  not  love,  I  would  be  nothing.  Only  through  love  one 
is  something,  is  much,  is  all.  Having  love,  I  have  enough ;  and  having 
love,  I  can  not  be  altogether  without  hope. '  These  three  being  equally 
indispensable,  they  are  equally  inseparable  from  the  Christian.  No  Chris- 
tian without  faith,  without  hope,  without  love.  No  Christian  hope  nor 
Christian  love  without  Christian  faith.  And,  on  the  other  hand,  no 
Christian  faith  without  Christian  hope  ;  nor  Christian  faith  without  Chris- 
tian love.  Faith,  Hope,  Love,  these  three  originate  the  one  in  the  other ; 
sustain  each  other ;  these  three  are  one.  They  become  one  more  and 
more  ;  they  strengthen,  purify,  regenerate  each  other.  Love  is  not  first, 
nor  hope,  but  faith.  However,  faith  is  impossible,  even  for  a  moment, 
without  hope  and  love. 

"But  among  these  three,  that  are  indispensable  to  the  Christian  and 
absolutely  so  to  each  other,  love  is  the  greatest  and  most  excellent  of  all : 

"First,  because  of  its  importance  to  the  Christian.  Faith  is  the  in- 
ward salvation,  and  hope  the  new-born  happiness  of  a  fallen  man ;  but 
love  is  the  growing  perfection  of  restored  man. 

"Second,  because  of  its  relation  to  God.  Of  faith  and  hope  God  is 
the  Object  and  Example.  To  believe  in  God  is  to  cast  oneself  in  the  arms 
of  God ;  to  hope  is  to  rest  upon  His  heart ;  but  to  love  is  to  bear  His 
image.  His  own  Being  is  Love.  To  love  is  divine.  God  is  Love,  and 
he  that  abideth  in  love  abideth  in  Him  and  He  in  him. 

"Third,  love  is  greatest  by  its  working.  Of  the  deeply  rooted  tree 
of  faith,  it  is  the  fruit  which  glorifies  God  and  the  shadow  which  diffuses 
a  blessing.  By  love  all  that  believe  are  one  ;  by  it  they  strengthen,  serve, 
and  bear  each  other.  '  Love  edifieth. '  It  builds  up  the  Body  of  the  Lord  ; 
it  spreads  His  Church  among  a  sinful  race,  and  carries  on  the  labor  of 
His  love.  For  love's  sake  His  Church,  His  Cross,  His  Person  find  gfrace 
and  honor  in  the  sight  of  unbelievers.  It  shames  unbelief  and  silences 
mockery. 

"Fourth,  love  is  greatest  by  reason  of  its  endurance.  Love  never 
f  aileth.  When  time  is  merged  in  eternity,  prophecy  shall  be  silent.  When 
the  redeemed  of  all  nations  shall  join  in  the  song  of  the  Lamb,  tongues 
shall  cease  ;  and  knowledge  which  is  in  part  shall  vanish  away  when  that 
which  is  perfect  is  come.  And  when  all  is  sight  there  shall  be  no  more 
room  for  faith  ;  and  where  shall  hope  be  when  all  shall  be  fulfilled? 

"  Lastly,  love  never  f aileth.  When  this  corruptible  shall  have  put  on 
incorruption,  and  this  mortal  shall  have  put  on  immortality ;  when  it  shall 
be  revealed  to  us  what  we  shall  be ;  when  bowed  down  in  adoration  we 
shall  see  Him  as  He  is,  in  whom,  tho  not  seeing  Him,  yet  believing,  we 
rejoice  with  joy  unspeakable  and  full  of  glory,  then  shall  our  whole  being, 
all  our  faith  and  hope,  be  only  love.     Then  love,  purified  of  her  last  stain 


THE    GREATEST   OF   THESE   IS    LOVE       541 

and  having  attained  to  her  highest  truth,  shall  forever  be  in  us  the  inex- 
haustible source  of  happiness  and  inexhaustible  power  of  God  glorifying 
activity.  Only  then  shall  we  realize  perfectly,  that  is  forever,  what  it 
means  to  love,  and  also  how  little  they  have  known  of  love  who,  denying 
the  love  of  God  in  Christ,  counted  the  exercise  of  holy  love  consistent  with 
the  persevering  in  blasphemous  unbelief. " 

And  Dr.  Van  Oosterzee  has  written  with  no  less  animation : 

"They  are  noble  companions  even  when  we  consider  each  by  herself: 
Faith,  not  merely  a  certain  confidence  of  the  soul  in  the  reality  of  things 
invisible,  and  in  the  certainty  of  the  revelation  of  God  in  Christ  Jesus, 
but  that  saving  faith  which  builds  upon  the  Person  and  work  of  the  Re- 
deemer ;  which  enters  into  closest  communion  with  Him ;  Hope  of  the 
perfect  fulfilment  of  all  the  promises  of  God  which  are  yea  and  amen  in 
Christ  Jesus  ;  and  Love  which  unites  the  believer,  not  only  with  God  and 
Christ,  but  with  all  his  brethren  and  sisters  in  the  Lord,  and  with  the 
whole  race  which  in  heaven  and  earth  is  named  after  God. 

"  Lovely  picture  :  at  the  right.  Faith  embracing  the  saving  Cross  ;  at 
the  left,  Hope  leaning  upon  the  infallible  anchor ;  and  in  the  midst.  Love 
holding  in  her  hand  the  burning  heart,  her  daily  sacrifice  consecrated  to 
the  God  of  Love.  And  yet,  altho  in  representation  they  maybe  separated, 
in  reality  they  can  not  be,  being  companions  inseparable,  not  only  from 
every  Christian,  but  also  from  one  another.  For  what  is  faith  with- 
out hope  and  love  ?  A  cold  conviction  of  the  understanding,  but  with- 
out quickening  power  in  heart,  and  without  ripened  fruit  in  life.  Without 
hope,  faith  could  not  once  see  heaven  ;  but  even  if  it  could  enter  heaven 
without  love,  it  would  lose  its  highest  felicity.  And  what  is  hope  without 
faith  and  love?  At  the  most  a  vain  delusion,  followed  by  a  painful  awa- 
kening ;  a  fragrant  blossom  soon  to  wither  without  once  bearing  fruit.  And 
finally,  what  is  love  without  hope  and  faith?  Perhaps  the  welling  up  of 
the  natural  feeling  ;  but  by  no  means  a  spiritual,  vital  principle.  If  love 
does  not  believe,  it  must  die  ;  and  if  it  does  not  hope  as  well  as  love,  it 
must  be  a  source  of  measureless  suffering. 

"To  separate  one  of  these  three  sisters  from  the  others  is  to  write  the 
death-sentence  of  the  one,  and  to  destroy  the  beauty  of  the  others.  In- 
separably united,  however,  they  deserve  to  be  called  companions  in  the 
fullest  sense  of  the  word.  Faith  is  much,  hope  is  more,  and  love  is  most. 
Faith  unites  us  with  God  ;  hope  lifts  us  up  to  God  ;  but  love  makes  us 
comformable  to  God,  for  God  is  Love.  Faith  is  the  child  of  humility, 
hope  the  offspring  of  persecution,  but  love  the  fruit  of  faith  and  hope 
together.  By  faith  and  hope  we  do  in  a  certain  sense  seek  ourselves ; 
love  alone  makes  us  forget  ourselves,  working  for  the  salvation  of  others. 
Faith  kneels  down  in  the  closet,   and  hope,  in  holy  ecstasy,   sees  the 


542  LOVE 

heavens  opened  ;  but  love  sends  us  thence  back  into  the  world  to  impart 
the  treasure  of  comfort  there  received  to  others.  Yea,  of  love,  not  of  faith 
and  hope,  can  it  be  said,  that  it  never  faileth.  Faith  is  turned  into 
sight  and  hope  into  enjoyment,  for  what  a  man  seeth  why  doth  he  yet 
hope  for?  But  even  before  the  throne  of  God,  love  remains  as  young  as 
when  for  the  first  time  it  was  born  in  the  heart.  Even  there  the  bond  of 
perfection  is  at  once  the  condition  and  the  pledge  of  an  infinite  increase  in 
holiness  and  blessedness ;  and,  therefore,  it  is  the  greatest  forever,  both 
here  and  there,  even  tho  its  name  has  merely  third  place.  To  the  Chris- 
tian here  these  three  are  constant  companions  ;  whatever  may  change  and 
vanish  away,  they  can  abide,  for  they  are  the  unchangeable  mark  of  every 
believer.  They  must  abide,  or  our  entire  Christianity  becomes  a  form 
without  life.  They  will  abide,  for  they  are  so  sublimely  divine  and  so 
truly  human.  Faith  may  have  to  wrestle  with  darkness,  hope  with  doubt, 
love  with  resistance ;  but  where  Christ  truly  lives  in  the  heart,  they  must 
abide  forever. " 

There  are,  of  course,  expressions  in  these  passages  for  which 
these  two  divines  alone  are  responsible ;  we  mean  to  show  only  that 
these  two  men  have  strongly  felt  that  Love's  superiority  of  place 
and  quality  is  principally  conspicuous  from  the  fact  that,  while 
faith  and  hope  will  finally  cease,  Love  abides  forever. 

Surely,  faith  and  hope  do  not  cease  in  the  sense  that  other  spir- 
itual gifts  cease.  The  word  "  temporal "  has  a  twofold  meaning. 
Temporal  is  the  worm  that  dies  and  from  which  nothing  remains. 
Temporal  is  the  caterpillar  that  must  die  as  a  worm,  but  that  rises 
beautiful  again  as  a  butterfly.  The  same  is  true  of  faith  and  hope, 
as  compared  with  the  spiritual  gifts  of  speaking  with  tongues  and 
healing  the  sick.  The  latter  will  fail  altogether.  They  will  com- 
pletely disappear.  They  will  vanish  away,  as  St.  Paul  says  in  i 
Cor.  xiii.  8,  But  the  failing  of  faith  and  hope  may  not  be  taken  in 
that  sense.  They  fail  only  to  rise  again  in  the  fuller,  richer,  and 
more  beautiful  form  of  sight  and  enjoyment. 

But  Love  does  not  know  this  metamorphosis.  It  not  only  abides 
forever,  but  it  ever  abides  unchanged.  In  the  fact  that  all  other 
gifts  perish  or  change,  and  that  Love  alone  is  eternal,  we  see  the 
never-ending  work  of  the  Holy  Spirit  scintillating  in  the  hearts  of 
believers;  in  our  meditation  on  Love  we  apprehend  His  proper 
work  in  all  its  depths,  even  to  the  root. 


XXIV. 
Love  in  the  Blessed  Ones. 

*•  That  God  may  be  all  in  all."— 
I  Cor.  XV.  38. 

Sanctification  and  the  shedding  abroad  of  love  are  not  the 
same.  Before  the  fall  Adam  could  not  have  been  the  subject  of  a 
single  act  of  sanctification,  for  he  was  holy ;  but  Love  could  have 
been  shed  abroad  in  his  heart  ever  more  richly,  fully,  and  abun- 
dantly.    And  this  would  have  been  the  work  of  the  Holy  Spirit. 

The  unholy  alone  need  sanctification ;  but  to  suppose  that  Love 
is  exhausted  in  the  victory  over  selfishness  is  a  great  mistake.  Of 
course,  selfishness  is  utterly  inconsistent  with  Love ;  but  Love  is 
not  the  mere  absence  of  selfishness,  as  in  Adam ;  nor  its  rebuke  and 
blood-bought  victory  in  the  saint;  in  fact.  Love  begins  to  unfold 
and  develop  only  after  the  last  traces  of  selfishness  are  wholly  ef- 
faced. 

The  same  is  true  of  health,  which  is  not  merely  the  throwing  ofiE 
of  disease  and  its  subtle  poison ;  for  then  convalescents  alone  could 
be  called  healthy,  and  real  healthful  life  and  the  life  of  health 
would  be  out  of  the  question.  On  the  contrary,  health  exists  inde- 
pendent of  sickness,  antedates  it,  and  drives  it  out  when  it  invades 
the  system ;  for  this  is  one  of  its  essential  operations.  And  after 
its  fight  with  sickness  it  goes  on  more  richly  and  exuberantly,  as 
tho  there  had  been  no  sickness  at  all,  developing  powers  and  offer- 
ing enjoyments  that  are  ever  new  and  glorious.  So  does  Love 
antedate  selfishness.  And  when  selfishness  appeared.  Love  imme- 
diately prepared  to  drive  it  out.  And  having  succeeded,  its  work 
was  not  ended,  but  as  tho  nothing  had  happened  it  continued  its 
life  of  Love. 

Victory  over  an  invading  enemy  does  not  end  the  national  ex- 
istence, but  the  nation's  development  and  prosperity  quietly  and 
gratefully  continue.  Satan  invaded  Paradise,  Love's  dwelling-place. 


544  LOVE 

and  with  all  his  evil  powers  of  selfishness  opposed  Love.  Then  Love 
had  to  fight,  not  because  it  was  in  its  nature,  but  in  self-defense. 
Indeed,  it  may  not  cease  to  fight  until  all  selfishness  is  under  per- 
fect control.  And  when  Love's  rule  is  safe,  Love  does  not  recline 
in  everlasting  slumber,  but  with  strong  impulse  and  holy  animation 
continues  the  unfolding  of  its  holy  and  restful  life. 

This  fight  is  not  fought  in  every  heart  separately.  The  fact  that 
Satan  is  the  author  and  inspirer  of  all  selfishness  proves  the  mutual 
relation  of  selfishness  in  every  heart.  To  some  extent  even  sel- 
fishness is  organized.  Hence  victory  over  individual  selfishness 
does  not  avail  so  long  as  selfishness  continues  in  others.  The  sel- 
fishness of  one  will  necessarily  affect  the  other,  and  Love  can  not 
celebrate  its  triumph. 

It  is  true,  in  death  God  cuts  off  all  sin  from  our  hearts;  and  so 
far  as  we  are  concerned  selfishness  is  cast  out.  He  who  awakes  in 
eternity  with  selfishness  in  his  heart  is  on  the  way  to  hell.  But 
altho  God  in  death  graciously  draws  the  last  threads  of  selfishness 
from  the  hearts  of  His  elect,  yet  their  warfare  against  selfishness  is 
not  ended.  For  even  from  heaven  Christ  wages  war,  until  the  hour 
when,  as  the  true  Michael,  with  all  His  angels  He  shall  deliver  the 
last  blow  upon  Satan  and  his  unholy  demons.  And  if  immediately 
after  death  the  elect  will  enjoy  with  Immanuel  the  communion  of 
Love,  then  of  course  they  will  engage  with  Him  in  the  conflict 
against  Satan  and  fight  with  Him  day  and  night.  No  saint  can  see 
his  Savior  fight  and  remain  neutral.  Nay,  the  Love  of  God  is  so 
deep,  stirring,  and  captivating  that  he  can  not  but  enter  the  con- 
flict. 

How  in  heaven  the  redeemed  partake  of  the  conflict  we  do  not 
know.  When  in  times  of  war  husbands,  fathers,  and  sons  go  out 
to  meet  the  foe,  wives,  mothers,  and  daughters  stay  at  home  and 
never  see  the  battle-field,  but  nevertheless  they  are  partakers  of  the 
conflict:  in  their  hearts  and  prayers;  by  their  letters  of  love  in- 
spiring the  men  in  the  field ;  with  their  own  hands  providing  for 
their  necessities;  by  nursing  the  wounded  and  dying;  by  honoring 
the  returning  heroes  and  those  fallen  in  battle.  Even  on  earth  one 
can  be  engaged  in  the  fight  without  moving  a  foot,  wielding  no 
weapon  other  than  Love.  This  answers  in  some  measure  the  ques- 
tion how  in  heaven  the  redeemed  partake  of  the  warfare  with  Mi- 
chael against  Satan  :  through  the  great  Loi^e  in  their  hearts  ;  and  by 


LOVE    IN   THE    BLESSED    ONES  545 

anticipation  they  enjoy  the  fulfilment  of  the  promise  that  with 
Immanuel  they  shall  sit  upon  His  throne. 

However,  this  condition  is  only  provisional  and  will  end  with 
the  dawn  of  that  notable  day  when  from  heaven  the  crj'  will  be 
heard,  "  It  is  done,"  as  once  it  was  heard  from  Calvary:  "  It  is  fin- 
ished ! "  Then,  the  last  enemy  destroyed,  all  shall  be  subject  to 
Christ.  Then  all  selfishness,  all  unholiness  ended,  and  all  opposi- 
tion to  Love  being  vanquished,  God's  children  shall  enjoy  an  eter- 
nal and  undisturbed  existence  in  which  Love  shall  reach  its  zenith; 
and  this  is,  as  the  Scripture  expresses  it :  "  That  God  shall  be  all 
in  all. " 

"  God  all  in  all,"  considered  in  connection  with  the  Spirit's  work 
of  shedding  abroad  the  Love  of  God  in  the  hearts  of  the  saints, 
sheds  new  light  upon  the  subject.  If  by  His  indwelling  the  Holy 
Spirit  sheds  abroad  the  Love  of  God  in  the  hearts  of  the  saints,  and 
causes  that  Love  like  rivers  of  water  to  flow  over  the  fields  of  their 
spiritual  life ;  if  this  cultivating  of  Love  is  His  most  proper  work, 
then  this  "  God  all  in  all "  is  at  once  flooded  with  light.  For  then 
it  means  no  more  nor  less  than  that  the  Holy  Ghost,  having  entered 
the  last  of  the  elect,  shall  dwell  in  the  hearts  of  all  the  saints  ;  shall 
have  pervaded  the  whole  body  of  Christ  in  such  completeness  that 
selfishness  shall  not  only  be  cast  out,  and  even  the  conflict  with 
selfishness  be  ended,  but  it  shall  not  even  be  remembered,  nor  its 
possible  return  be  feared. 

Altho  "  God  all  in  all "  has  undoubtedly  reference  to  Satan  and 
the  lost,  for  they  shall  forever  abide  under  the  anger  of  the  Al- 
mighty and  be  consumed  by  His  wrath ;  yet  in  its  proper  and  full 
significance  it  refers  only  to  the  elect.  In  them  alone  He  takes  up 
His  abode  personally;  in  them  alone  He  became  something ;  in 
them  alone  He  became  gradually  inore  and  more  ;  in  them  alone  He 
became  a//.  "In  all,"  referring  to  \.\iQ  number  of  the  elect,  signifies 
that  in  them,  not  individually,  but  collectively  as  the  body  of  Christ, 
Love's  triumph  shall  be  complete. 

But  even  then  the  work  of  the  Holy  Spirit  is  not  finished,  but 
thenceforth  shall  continue  forevermore.  Then  the  heavenly  felic- 
ity will  only  begin  to  unfold  itself  in  a  way  wholly  divine,  and  with- 
out the  slightest  impediment  the  Rose  of  Love  will  disclose  its 
brilliant  beauty.  When,  as  a  bridegroom  coming  forth  from  his 
chamber,  the  sun  rises  from  the  womb  of  the  morning  and  causes 
35 


546  LOVE 

his  golden  rays  to  wrestle  with  the  dark  clouds  of  the  parting  night, 
till,  having  scattered  all,  he  stands  forth  magnificent  conqueror  in 
the  deep  azure  of  a  cloudless  sky,  his  splendor  does  not  then  de- 
cline with  the  last  vanishing  vapors,  but  only  begins  to  shine  out 
in  greater  brightness  and  power.  And  the  same  is  true  of  the  Sun 
of  Love.  He  first  fights  and  wrestles  to  vanquish  the  resistance  of 
the  darkened  clouds  and  vapors  of  selfishness;  and  only  gradually, 
after  what  has  seemed  an  endless  conflict,  He  succeeds  in  scatter- 
ing and  in  driving  them  away  before  the  splendor  of  His  brightness. 
But  when  the  victory  is  His,  and  the  Sun  of  Love  stands  at  last  in 
dazzling  glory  in  the  cloudless  sky,  then,  and  only  then,  does  He 
begin  to  show  His  perfect  beauty  and  to  radiate  His  blessed,  cher- 
ishing rays. 

After  the  day  of  judgment  the  Holy  Spirit  can  «<?/ cease  to  feed, 
cultivate,  and  strengthen  the  Love  of  God  in  the  elect;  for,  if  but 
for  a  moment  He  should  withdraw  from  them,  they  would  cease  to 
be  His  children,  and  the  body  of  Christ  would  lose  the  bond  which 
binds  it  to  its  sacred  Head. 

God's  elect  do  not  exist  without  the  indwelling  of  the  Holy 
Spirit.  We  derive  all  that  we  are  not  from  ourselves,  but  from 
that  rich  Dweller  in  our  hearts.  We,  His  poor  host,  have  nothing, 
and  from  our  own  treasury  can  produce  not  even  a  grain  of  love ; 
but  our  rich  Guest  works  in  us  with  all  His  wealth.  Or  rather,  not 
with  His  own,  but  with  the  riches  of  Christ's  cross-merits;  and 
with  lavish  hands  He  spends  these  cross-merits  upon  the  poor  owner 
of  the  house,  making  him  unspeakably  rich.  But  He  does  this,  not 
in  such  a  way  as  to  make  the  saint  the  possessor  of  an  independent 
capital,  to  be  spent  without  the  Holy  Spirit.  Nay,  it  is  the  Holy 
Spirit  who  from  moment  to  moment  holds  the  lamp  that  radiates 
Love's  brightness  in  the  heart  in  His  own  hand.  Hence,  if  after 
the  judgment,  the  Holy  Spirit  should  cease  to  work  in,  or  depart 
from,  the  hearts  of  the  saints,  all  their  life,  light,  and  love  would 
at  once  be  quenched.  They  are  what  they  are  by  His  indwelling, 
and  Love  can  celebrate  its  triumph  only  by  pervading  their  whole 
personality  with  His  influences.  And  what  is  this  but  that  "  God 
is  all  in  all";  for  by  the  Holy  Spirit  even  the  Father  and  the  Son 
come  to  dwell  in  them. 

Owing  to  the  many  obstacles  that  now  prevent  Love's  light  and 
brightness  from  pervading  them,  this  indwelling  is  very  imperfect. 


LOVE    IN   THE   BLESSED   ONES  547 

Even  in  heaven  it  is  more  or  less  hindered,  owing  to  the  conflict  of 
Christ  and  His  people  against  Satan.  But  after  the  judgment,  these 
internal  hindrances  and  external  conflicts  being  ended  forever,  the 
Holy  Spirit's  working  shall  penetrate  from  center  to  circumference 
and  gloriously  unfold  the  inward  beauty  of  the  body  of  Christ. 


XXV. 
The  Communion  of  Saints. 

"  There  is  one  body  and  one  Spirit;  even 
as  ye  are  called  in  one  hope  of  your 
calling." — Ephes.  iv.  4. 

To  classify  Love  among  the  works  of  the  Holy  Spirit  is  not  a 
new  invention.  In  this  connection,  to  assign  Love  such  a  conspicu- 
ous place  may  be  new,  but  the  doctrine  itself  is  as  old  as  the  Apos- 
tolic Creed,  which  confesses:  "  I  believe  in  the  Holy  Ghost ;  in  the 
Holy,  Apostolic,  Christian  Church,  in  the  conununion  of  saints." 

For  what  is  the  communion  of  saints  otherwise  than  Love  in  its 
noblest  and  richest  manifestation?  And  how  is  it  here  presented 
but  as  the  very  fruit  of  the  Holy  Spirit?  The  work  of  the  Father 
is  confessed  yfrj/y  that  of  the  Son  in  the  IncsLxnaXxon  second ;  and 
coming  to  the  work  of  the  Holy  Spirit,  the  Church  confesses  that 
this  is  not  in  the  creation,  nor  in  the  Incarnation,  but  in  the  com- 
munion of  saints,  which,  among  men,  is  Love's  tenderest  and  most 
glorious  expression. 

"Communion  of  saints,"  i.e.,  the  rule  of  Love,  not  among  the 
selfish,  the  half-hearted,  or  still  untried,  new  beginners,  but  among 
the  initiated  children  of  God,  whose  life  is  from  God;  a  communion 
the  foretaste  of  which  is  enjoyed  on  earth,  the  full  enjoyment  of 
which  can  be  found  only  in  heaven;  a  communion  sweet  and 
blessed,  because  it  is  unalloyed,  and  proceeds  only  from  holy  im- 
pressions; not  springing  from  man's  heart,  but  shed  abroad  in  him 
from  above  when  from  a  sinner  he  became  a  saint,  and  developing 
in  him  more  warmly  and  tenderly  as  in  his  person  the  new  man 
becomes  more  pronounced;  a  communion  found  among  saints,  not 
by  chance,  but  because  it  is  bom  from  the  fact  that  they  are  saints, 
rooted  in  their  being  saints,  and  derived  from  Him  who  sanctified 
them  to  be  saints.  Hence  it  is  a  love  which  death  can  not  destroy; 
which,  stronger  than  death,  shall  continue  as  long  as  there  are 
saints,  unquenched,  forevermore. 


THE   COMMUNION   OF   SAINTS  549 

From  which  it  is  evident  that  the  fathers  had  a  thorough  grasp 
of  the  magnificent  thought  that  the  Spirit's  real,  characteristic,  and 
perpetual  work  is  the  shedding  abroad  of  love  j  and  they  have  ex- 
pressed it  in  a  beautiful  and  artistic  form.  The  Holy  Spirit  was 
to  them  not  a  mystic  Person  in  the  Godhead,  to  whom  they  looked 
up  in  holy  wonder,  but  God  the  Holy  Ghost  working  with  omnipo- 
tent power  within  and  around  them.  Hence  they  followed  the  con- 
fession of  the  Holy  Spirit  by  that  of  His  creation,  i.e.,  the  Holy, 
Catholic,  Christian  Church,  which  is  the  body  of  Christ ;  and  that 
by  the  confession  of  the  communion  of  saints,  wrought  by  the  Holy 
Spirit  in  the  Church. 

The  Church  and  the  communion  of  saints  are  two  things.  The 
former  originated  and  existed  before  there  was  the  slightest  sign 
of  the  latter.  The  Church  exists  and  continues,  tho  in  unfavorable 
times  the  communion  of  saints  suffers  loss.  The  new-born  child  is 
unconscious  of  his  relation  to  the  family.  He  lives,  but  without 
any  attachment,  inclination,  love,  or  bond  of  union  for  the  family. 
Love  does  indeed  exert  its  influence  upon  him,  and  cares  for  him, 
but  does  not  yet  live  in  and  through  him.  Hence  there  is  no  com- 
munion between  him  and  the  other  members  of  the  family.  And 
the  same  is  true  of  the  Church.  She  can  exist,  live,  and  increase 
before  there  is  any  conscious  communion  of  saints.  For  which  rea- 
son the  communion  of  saints  may  languish,  apparently  disappear, 
yea,  even  be  turned  into  bitterness. 

Hence  the  Church  and  the  communion  of  saints  are  two  things. 
First  the  Church  which  is  the  body,  then  the  communion  of  saints, 
which  is  its  support  and  nourishment. 

Wherefore  it  reads,  not,  I  see  or  taste,  but,  I  believe  the  com- 
munion of  saints.  Communion  of  saints  belongs  to  the  things 
invisible  and  unknown,  which  on  earth  are  part  of  the  tenor  of  the 
faith,  and  which  in  the  New  Jerusalem  shall  be  turned  into  a  rich 
and  blessed  experience.  For  this  article  of  faith  speaks,  not  of 
a  communion  of  a  feiv  saints,  members  of  the  same  small  circle, 
but  of  "the  communion  of  saints";  and  this  rich  and  comprehen- 
sive confession  may  not  be  belittled  by  a  narrow  conception  of  it. 
Communion  of  a  few  saints  is  not  a  thing  unknown  on  earth :  there 
is  scarcely  a  spot  where  some  of  God's  dear  children  do  not  live 
together  in  sweet  fellowship.  But  such  a  little  circle  is  by  no 
means  the  body  of  Christ;  and  such  sweet  fellowship  would  be 
injurious  if  the  fact  were  overlooked,  that  it  must  be  a  commun- 


550  LOVE 

ion  of  all  God's  saints  on  earth — of  the  present,  the  past,  and  the 
future. 

To  one  living  in  an  obscure  hamlet  faith  in  the  communion  of 
saints  is  the  consciousness  that  he  belongs  to  an  exceedingly- 
wealthy,  numerous,  holy,  and  elect  family ;  and  that  instead  of  ever 
getting  estranged  from  it,  he  shall  ever  be  more  closely  united  to 
it.  It  is  the  sacred  knowledge  that  all  the  saints  of  the  Old  and 
New  Covenants,  all  the  heroes  and  heroines,  the  whole  cloud  of 
witnesses,  together  with  apostles,  prophets,  and  martyrs,  and  the 
redeemed  in  heaven,  are  not  aliens  to  him,  but  with  him  belong  to 
the  same  body ;  not  only  in  name,  but  in  reality,  as  shall  once  be 
gloriously  manifested.  It  is  the  precious  comfort  for  the  lonely 
heart  that,  in  all  the  ends  of  the  earth,  among  all  nations  and  peo- 
ples, in  every  city  and  village,  God  has  His  own  whom  He  has  called 
out  and  gathered  unto  life  eternal ;  and  that  I  share  with  them  the 
same  life,  possess  the  same  hope  and  calling,  and  sustain  to  them, 
however  imperceptibly, the  tenderest  and  holiest  communion;  yea, 
the  firm  and  positive  assurance  that  if  the  earth  came  suddenly  to 
an  end,  and  they  only  were  to  be  saved  who,  being  possessed  of 
an  eternal  principle,  had  the  power  to  bloom  forever,  that  then  all 
God's  saints  would  come  out  as  one  holy  family,  in  which  holy  cir- 
cle the  least  of  His  servants  would  glitter  as  precious  gems. 

And  therefore  this  glorious  communion  should  no  longer  be  be- 
littled by  confining  it  to  one's  own  small,  often  shallow  environ- 
ment. Of  course  there  is  no  objection,  when  friends  living  in  the 
same  place,  meeting  together  in  the  Lord,  understanding  one  an- 
other, and  edifying  one  another  through  the  Word,  speak  of  their 
small  circle,  in  connection  with  the  communion  of  saints.  For, 
wherever  in  love  and  worship  saints  dwell  together,  there  indeed 
the  communion  of  saints  breaks  through  the  clouds,  and  vouchsafes 
unto  them  a  glimpse  of  its  brightness  and  glory.  But,  altho  such 
dwelling  together  in  unity  stands  in  connection  with  the  commun- 
ion of  saints,  and  is  a  result  of  it,  and  affords  a  foretaste  of  what 
it  some  time  shall  be,  it  is  only  a  very  small  part  and  faint  reflec- 
tion of  reality.  In  such  a  circle,  however  good,  devout,  and  holy, 
the  hearts  become  exclusive.  Compared  to  the  great  and  wide 
world-circle,  they  can  not  be  otherwise  than  a  small  company. 
And  this  necessarily  imparts  to  it  something  private  and  exclusive ; 
while  the  communion  of  saints  is  the  very  opposite  ;  not  ^jrclusive, 
but  mclusive.     It  is  not  an  idea  which  closes  the  door  and  shuts  the 


THE   COMMUNION    OF   SAINTS  551 

windows;  but,  throwing  doors  and  windows  wide  open,  it  walks 
through  the  four  corners  of  the  earth,  searches  the  ages  of  the  past, 
and  looks  forward  into  the  ages  to  come. 

Communion  of  saints  opens  its  arms  as  wide  as  possible.  O 
my  God !  how  can  I  encompass  and  embrace  all  the  dear  children 
whom  Thou  throughout  the  ages  hast  regenerated  and  still  dost  re- 
generate, the  redeemed  both  in  heaven  and  earth !  There  are  a  few 
of  former  generations  whose  books  lie  open  upon  our  table,  so  that 
with  Calvin  we  can  pray,  or  with  Augustine  glory  in  a  sin-par- 
doning God,  or  with  Owen  lose  ourselves  in  the  contemplation  of 
the  excellencies  of  Christ,  or  with  Comrie  walk  in  the  paths  of 
righteousness  divine.  But  what  are  these  few  that  speak  com- 
pared to  the  thousands  who  are  silent ;  who  were  each  in  his  own 
way  divinely  endowed  and  adorned  with  spiritual  gifts;  who  in 
heaven  will  once  appear  bright  with  crowns,  our  brethren  and  sis- 
ters now  and  forevermore?  The  communion  of  saints  cries  out: 
"  Lengthen  thy  cords  and  strengthen  thy  stakes."  For  it  is  a  com- 
munion not  with  hundreds,  but  with  thousands;  not  with  ten  thou- 
sand, but  with  millions ;  a  multitude  that  no  man  can  number,  as 
drops  of  water  in  the  crystal  sea  which  is  before  the  throne  of  God. 

And  this  communion  of  saints  will  be  real :  not  limited  as  in  this 
earthly  life,  where  living  together  in  the  same  city  we  meet  each 
other  at  the  utmost  ten  times  a  year ;  but  an  actual  living  together 
the  same  life,  eating  together  at  the  same  board,  drinking  from  the 
same  cup,  thinking  the  same  thought,  exhilarated  by  the  same  fe- 
licity, adoring  the  same  unfathomable  mercies  of  our  God. 

In  Europe  our  fellowship  with  thousands  is  now  much  fuller 
and  richer  than  our  fathers  ever  knew  it.  The  means  of  communi- 
cation are  wonderfully  improved  and  multiplied.  Telegraph  and 
telephone  afford  men  communication  not  confined  to  place  nor  dis- 
tance. They  were  never  dreamt  of  before.  It  never  entered  the 
mind  of  man  that  in  fifteen  minutes  a  saint  in  America  could  ex- 
change thoughts  with  a  brother  in  Europe.  This  communion  of 
saints  was  therefore  to  them  an  unsolved  riddle.  But  to  us  the 
veil  is  partly  lifted.  Actually  we  see  something  of  it:  intercom- 
munication of  thought  in  minutest  detail,  not  confined  by  distance, 
crossing  the  oceans,  uniting  continents.  And  yet,  what  are  tele- 
graph and  telephone  compared  to  the  powers  of  the  age  to  come? 
And  thus  we  grope  in  the  dark  and  wonder  how  it  shall  be  when 
distance  shall  be  no  more,  when  material  aids  shall  be  superfluous, 


552  LOVE 

when  God's  children,  active  in  whatever  part  of  heaven,  shall  en- 
joy full,  rich,  and  intimate  communion,  one  in  Imraanuel,  all  par- 
takers of  the  same  Love. 

Why  is  the  communion  of  saints  an  article  of  the  creed  of  the 
Church  on  earth?  (i)  Because  in  the  invisible  world  it  is  even  now 
a  reality  J  (2)  because  it  is  implied  in  the  nature  0/  the  case  j  and  (3) 
because  it  is  already  active  in  the  germ. 

First,  it  exists  already /'«  the  invisible  world ;  iov  there  is  a  trium- 
phant Church  above.  Millions  upon  millions  are  fallen  asleep  in 
their  Lord,  and  have  entered  the  halls  of  the  eternal  Light.  And 
altho  to  them  the  full  glory  of  the  Kingdom  is  not  revealed,  tarrying 
as  it  does  until  after  the  Judgment  Day,  and  the  absence  of  the  glori- 
fied body  still  detracts  from  the  full  communion  of  saints,  yet  even 
now  the  departed  saints  and  martyrs  live  in  such  heavenly  felicity 
that  the  word  of  the  Psalmist,  "  Behold,  how  good  and  how  pleas- 
ant it  is  for  brethren  to  dwell  together  in  unity,"  can  be  applied 
only  to  that  heavenly  company. 

Second,  and  altho  in  that  sense  it  is  not  found  on  the  earth,  yet  it 
is  implied  and  does  exist  in  the  nature  of  the  case  j  and  as  such  it 
must  be  the  object  of  faith.  We  profess  to  believe  in  the  Holy 
Spirit,  who  does  not  live  apart  from  the  Church,  but  has  descended 
in  the  Church  and  in  all  the  members  of  Christ,  in  whom  He  dwells 
and  works ;  which  fact  He  seeks  to  bring  to  their  individual  con- 
sciousness. And  since  it  is  the  essence  of  self-denial  on  the  part 
of  the  saint  to  let  the  Holy  Spirit  work  in  him  more  and  more, 
being  only  a  colaborer  himself,  it  is  evident  that  the  activity  of 
faith  must  have  this  one  result:  that  there  is  in  all  God's  saints  but 
one  Worker,  working  in  you  and  me  and  in  all  who  love  the  appear- 
ing of  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ.  This  is  a  fact  of  which  all  are  con- 
scious, the  effect  of  which  must  be  the  most  intimate  harmony  of 
life,  one  growth  from  the  same  root,  and  a  strong  mutual  attrac- 
tion between  all  the  members.  In  the  one  Holy  Spirit  the  work  in 
the  souls  of  all  must  concentrate.  It  may  not  appear  on  the  sur- 
face, but  underneath  the  surface  all  these  waters  must  flow  together 
in  the  communion  of  saints. 

Third,  and  this  is  verified  by  experience ;  for  we  clearly  discover 
the  germ  of  it  in  the  earth.  To  some  extent  it  is  evident  in  our 
own  intimate  circle :  in  the  reading  of  old  books,  and  in  the  singing 
of  old  hymns;  it  is  evident  when  we  hear  how  God's  work  pros- 
pers or  suffers  in  other  places,  in  other  countries,  and  among  other 


THE    COMMUNION    OF    SAINTS  553 

nations.  For,  whatever  the  differences,  this  we  notice,  that  it  is 
the  same  language  of  love  spoken  at  the  ends  of  the  earth ;  that 
among  all  men  it  is  the  same  casting  down  and  raising  up  of  the 
sinner;  one  blessed,  divine  communion  of  which  men  testify  in 
every  human  tongue.  Yea,  more,  there  are  but  few  of  God's  chil- 
dren who  have  not  at  some  time  in  their  lives  seen  their  spiritual 
horizon  enlarged,  and  heard,  as  it  were,  the  Song  of  the  Lamb  as- 
cending from  the  ends  of  the  earth,  and  unnumbered  multitudes 
crying:  "We  also  glory  in  the  Love  that  is  eternal,  merciful,  and 
divine;  we  also  are  pilgrims  to  Zion,  the  City  of  the  Living  God." 
This  is  the  activity  of  faith  which,  escaping  from  the  present  limi- 
tations,  glories  in  the  unbounded  communion  of  God's  saints,  who 
still  bear  the  cross,  or  who  already  wear  the  crown. 


XXVI. 
The  Communion  of  Goods. 

"  If  we  walk  in  the  light,  we  have 
fellowship  one  with  another." — 
1  John  i.  7. 

The  communion  of  saints  is  in  the  Light.  In  heaven  alone,  in 
the  halls  of  the  eternal  Light,  it  shall  shine  with  undimmed  bright- 
ness. Even  on  earth  its  delights  are  known  only  inasmuch  as  the 
saints  walk  in  the  light. 

This  communion  of  saints  is  a  holy  confederacy;  a  bond  of 
shareholders  in  the  same  holy  enterprise ;  a  partnership  of  all  God's 
children;  an  essential  union  for  the  enjoyment  of  a  common  good; 
a  firm  not  of  earth,  but  of  heaven,  in  which  the  members  have  each 
an  equal  share,  which  is  not  taken  from  their  own  wealth,  but  be- 
queathed in  their  behalf  by  Another. 

Do  not  think  that  this  savors  too  much  of  secularism.  Even  the 
Lord  Jesus  compared  the  kingdom  of  heaven  to  a  merchant,  and 
to  one  who  had  found  a  treasure  in  the  field.  And  our  Catechism 
also  explains  the  communion  of  saints  as  the  possession  of  a  common 
good,  saying  that  it  includes  two  things : 

First,  to  be  partakers  of  Christ  and  of  all  His  riches  and  gifts. 

Second,  the  obligation  to  employ  these  gifts  for  the  advantage 
and  salvation  of  other  members. 

Originally  communion  of  saints  was  taken  in  the  absolute  sense 
of  including  comfnimion  of  earthly  J)ossessions.  Hence  the  peculiar 
phenomenon  in  Jerusalem  of  having  all  things  common.  They  sold 
their  possessions  and  they  put  the  proceeds  in  the  common  treas- 
ury, which  was  in  the  hands  of  the  apostles.  And  from  this  the 
poor  and  they  who  were  formerly  rich  were  supported.  Hence 
there  were  no  poor  nor  rich,  but  there  was  equality. 

With  reference  to  this  communion  of  goods,  opposite  opinions 
are  held.  Some  have  taken  it  as  an  indication  that  all  Christians 
ought  to  renounce  their  private  possessions,  and  live  after  the  man- 


THE    COMMUNION    OF   GOODS  555 

ner  of  monks,  as  members  of  one  family ;  while  others  have  disap- 
proved of  it  as  an  extravagance  of  Christian  fanaticism.  Both 
extremes  are  untenable. 

It  appears  from  Scripture  that  this  generous  and  enthusiastic 
effort  to  escape  from  the  plague  of  poverty  was  not  only  unprofit- 
able to  the  few,  but  that  it  caused  terrible  suffering  which  extended 
over  the  whole  Church.  At  least,  in  his  epistles,  St.  Paul  speaks 
again  and  again  of  the  poverty-stricken  saints  of  Jerusalem,  who 
were  always  in  need  of  a  collection  and  in  danger  of  starvation. 
In  other  places  that  did  not  have  a  communion  of  goods  there  was 
a  surplus;  and  in  Jerusalem,  where  on  a  large  scale  possessions  had 
been  divided,  the  people  suffered  lack.  This  shows  convincingly 
that  division  of  property,  or  communion  of  goods,  is  not  the  way 
ordained  of  God  to  overcome  poverty  or  to  attain  a  state  of  higher 
mutual  prosperity.  The  subsequent  efforts  of  various  sects  at 
Rome  to  realize  a  similar  ideal  on  a  smaller  and  more  careful  scale 
met  with  similar  failures.  And  the  secular  enterprises  of  Proudhon 
and  others  led  to  similar  miserable  results. 

But  it  is  equally  erroneous  to  suppose  that  this  failure  justifies 
us  in  condemning  the  early  church  of  Jerusalem  for  this  act.  This 
would  be  inconsistent  with  the  upholding  of  the  apostolic  author- 
ity. The  apostles  had  a  part  in  this  matter;  they  assisted  the 
church  in  receiving  the  money  for  distribution.  Hence  to  tear  the 
apostles*  seal  from  this  heroic  act  of  the  church  of  Jerusalem  is 
simply  impossible.  We  should  be  careful  not  to  condemn  what  the 
apostles  have  stamped  with  their  own  sign-manual. 

Judging  from  the  results,  this  communion  of  goods  and  subse- 
quent misery  produced  precious  fruit;  partly  in  the  fact  that  the 
church  of  Jerusalem  was  thus  kept  from  relapsing  into  worldliness 
and  attachment  to  houses  and  lands;  and  more  strongly  in  the  other 
fact  that  this  very  impoverishing  of  the  church  became  the  power- 
ful means  by  which  the  breach  was  prevented  between  the  churches 
of  Palestine  and  those  of  the  Gentile  world.  The  distress  at  Jeru- 
salem quenched  the  rising  pride  of  the  Jewish  heart ;  and  the  de- 
light of  imparting  to  others  softened  the  hearts  at  Corinth  and  in 
Macedonia.  St.  Paul,  traveling  to  Jerusalem,  carrying  with  him 
European  treasure,  holds  in  his  hand  the  silver  cord  that  keeps 
together  and  shortly  unites  the  troubled  churches. 

But,  apart  from  these  good  results,  this  division  of  property  em- 


556  LOVE 

bodies  something  of  still  greater  and  more  sacred  importance,  which 
essentially  belongs  to  the  first  Christian  congregation.  Interna- 
tional intercommunication  was  to  be  developed  gradually ;  the 
translation  of  the  Word  of  God  into  the  languages  of  the  world  for 
the  universal  preaching  of  the  Gospel  would  occupy  many  centu- 
ries. Even  now  it  is  not  universal;  and  only  in  heaven,  after  the 
judgment,  the  anthem  shall  rise  to  the  Blessed  Trinity  from  all 
peoples  and  tongues.  And  yet,  while  this  was  tarrying,  and  the 
Church  of  the  New  Testament  was  just  beginning  to  manifest  it- 
self, it  pleased  God  on  Pentecost,  by  the  miracle  of  tongues,  to 
make  men  listen  to  the  glorious  message  which  came  from  the  lips 
of  the  apostles,  to  every  one  in  his  own  language.  And  the  same 
is  true  with  reference  to  the  communion  of  goods.  Even  this  shall 
one  day  be  a  reality.  Heaven's  outward,  visible  goods  shall  be  for 
the  mutual  enjoyment  of  all  the  redeemed.  But,  by  reason  of  sin 
and  present  limitations,  this  is  now  impossible.  In  Paradise  pri- 
vate possession  was  out  of  the  question.  Neither  Adam  nor  Eve 
had  anything  that  did  not  belong  to  the  other.  The  whole  garden 
was  theirs  and  its  possession  mutual.  Division  took  place  only 
after  the  breach  had  come,  and  will  continue  so  long  as  the  breach 
shall  last.  But  as  on  Pentecost  the  miracle  of  tongues  was  the 
prophecy,  manifestation,  and  incipient  realization  of  what  before 
the  Throne  of  the  Lamb  shall  be  a  glorious,  universal  reality,  so  was 
the  communion  of  goods  the  prophecy,  manifestation,  and  incipient 
realization  of  what  shall  be  the  communion  of  external  gifts  in  the 
heavenly  glory. 

There  is  not  only  an  immortality  of  the  soul,  but  also  a  resur- 
rection of  the  body.  Wherefore  the  glory  of  the  New  Jerusalem 
may  not  be  presented  as  consisting  only  in  the  spiritual  and  invis- 
ible. Heaven  exists,  and  in  that  heaven  Christ  sits  upon  the  throne 
in  the  body  which  the  Father  has  prepared  for  Him.  The  Father's 
house  is  not  a  fiction,  but  a  real  city  with  many  mansions ;  and 
when  the  glory  shall  have  come,  after  the  great  and  notable  day  of 
the  Lord,  the  felicity  of  God's  children  shall  be  not  only  a  spiritual 
delight,  but  also  the  enjoyment  of  outward  and  visible  glory  and 
beauty.  As  there  were  in  Eden,  so  there  will  be  in  heaven,  exter- 
nal goods  in  relation  to  man's  external  bodily  appearance,  when  he 
shall  walk  in  his  glorified  body.  And,  since  body  and  soul  in  per- 
fect and  indissoluble  union  shall  work  upon  each  other  in  a  harmo- 
nious manner,  the  communion  of  saints  must  have  two  sides:  a 


THE   COMMUNION    OF    GOODS  557 

communion  of  spiritual  good,  and  a  communion  of  the  outward  and 
visible  glory.  And  inasmuch  as  this  twofold  nature  of  the  commun- 
ion of  saints  must  be  illustrated  to  the  church  of  Jerusalem  in  its 
perfect  unity,  therefore  the  communion  in  the  breaking  of  bread 
had  to  be  accompanied  by  a  communion  equally  intimate  in  the 
possession  of  temporal  goods.  The  division  of  property  contained 
the  prophecy  of  this  future  communion,  a  glorious  prophecy  which 
contains  a  threefold  exhortatio?i  for  the  Christian  Church  of  all 
ages. 

T^XQ.  first  exhortation  is  what  St.  Paul  calls  "  to  possess  as  not  pos- 
sessing" ;  to  be  loose  from  the  world;  the  consistent  carrying  out 
of  the  idea  that  we  are  but  stewards  of  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ,  who 
is  the  only  Proprietor  of  all  men's  personal  property  and  real  es- 
tate.    It  is  always  the  choice  between  Jehovah  and  Mammon. 

Not  Baal,  nor  Kamosh,  nor  Molech,  but  Mammon,  is  the  idola- 
trous power  in  which  Satan  appears  against  the  glory  of  Jehovah, 
especially  among  mercantile  nations.  Many  men,  otherwise  not 
unspiritual,  can  scarcely  separate  from  the  altar  of  Mammon — vis- 
ible things  have  such  strong  attraction,  and  entrench  themselves  so 
firmly  in  the  impressionable  heart. 

Compared  to  the  treasures  on  earth,  those  of  heaven  seem  to  us 
something  accidental  and  of  uncertain  value.  To  possess  as  not 
possessing  is  to  our  flesh  such  a  bitter  cross.  And  for  this  reason 
the  early  church  of  Jerusalem  appears  in  the  beginning  of  the  dis- 
pensation of  the  New  Covenant  glorious  in  her  communion  of 
goods,  in  order  to  illustrate  against  the  dark  background  of  the 
half-heartedness  of  Ananias  and  Sapphira  the  power  of  the  Holy 
Ghost  to  make  the  children  of  God  at  Jerusalem  at  once  loose  from 
their  earthly  possessions.  Of  course  it  did  not  last,  for  the  spiri- 
tual forces  of  Paradise  were  lacking  to  make  it  lasting ;  but  it  shows 
the  majestic  act  of  the  Holy  Spirit,  and  the  majestic  preaching 
which  proceeded  from  it :  "  Do  not  lay  up  for  yourselves  treasures 
on  earth,"  "  but  let  your  treasure  be  in  heaven." 

And  the  second  exhortation  is,  that  the  poor  be  remembered.  They 
did  not  merely  sell  their  possessions,  but  they  divided  them  among 
the  poor ;  and  from  this  divine  manifestation  of  love  sprang  the  fair 
flower  of  mercy,  as  indigenous  to  the  Church  of  Christ.  It  may  be 
said  that  it  was  the  effect  of  excitement;  but  remember  that,  unless 
the  impressions  on  our  sinful  hearts  are  produced  in  a  very  power- 
ful manner,  they  will  soon  be  effaced;  and  with  this  in  view  it 


558  LOVE 

must  be  acknowledged  that  no  other  event  could  have  stamped 
upon  the  Church  the  impress  of  mercy,  which  was  to  last  through- 
out the  ages,  so  long  as  the  Church  was  to  last,  than  this  general 
division  of  goods,  which  was  wrought  by  the  powerful  pressure  of 
the  waves  of  love  and  the  wonderful  manifestation  of  the  work  of 
the  Holy  Spirit. 

And  thus,  by  this  communion  of  goods,  it  became  the  indestruc- 
tible character  of  the  Church  of  Christ  to  exercise  mercy,  to  im- 
part to  the  poor,  to  abound  in  the  works  of  benevolence,  and  to 
interpret  to  men  the  mercy  of  God.  But  not  as  tho  the  Church 
might  be  reduced  to  a  benevolent  society ;  he  that  proposes  such  a 
thing  cuts  off  her  life  at  the  root.  The  exercise  of  mercy  in  the 
Church  of  Christ  is  the  fruit  of  the  Cross.  Where  this  is  lacking, 
mercy  languishes.  But  it  is  the  Holy  Spirit's  pleasure  to  work 
love,  to  show  love,  to  cultivate  love,  and  to  cause  love  to  be  glori- 
fied. And  since  the  life  of  man  and  of  the  Church  has  a  spiritual 
and  a  material  side,  the  Holy  Spirit  perseveres  with  His  work  so 
long  and  so  mightily  that  even  the  gold  and  silver  of  the  earth  be- 
come subject  to  Him  and  serve  Him.  Hence  the  communion  of 
goods  in  Jerusalem  is  the  impressive  inauguration  of  the  work  of 
mercy  for  the  whole  Church  of  Christ,  and  as  such  it  is  nothing  else 
than  the  power  of  the  Holy  Spirit  penetrating  to  the  circle  of  the 
material  life. 

Finally,  the  third  exhortation  is  contained  in  the  never-ceasing 
cry:  "Behold,  He  cometh."  The  men  in  Jerusalem  nineteen  cen- 
turies ago  would  not  have  sold  and  divided  their  possessions  so 
freely  and  readily  if  the  expectation  of  the  Lord's  return  to  judg- 
ment had  not  taken  hold  of  them  with  overwhelming  power. 
They  did  undoubtedly  expect  that  return  during  their  own  life- 
time ;  not  after  many  days,  but  shortly.  And  since  this  expectation 
depreciated  the  value  of  their  possessions,  they  resolved  to  sell  and 
distribute  them  much  more  readily  than  otherwise  would  have  been 
possible  for  their  covetous  hearts.  And  altho  there  was  in  their 
expectation  something  overstrained,  which  the  succeeding  ages 
have  corrected,  yet  there  is  in  this  "  Maranatha "  of  the  apostolic 
Church  an  inestimable  testimony,  which  exhorts  the  Church  of  all 
ages  to  look  upon  Him  who  shall  come  upon  the  clouds.  With 
bread  and  cup  we  remember  His  death  until  He  comes.  All  the 
apostles  direct  us  to  the  future;  and  when,  in  the  Revelation  of 
St.  John,  the  Book  of   Testaments  closes,  it  leaves  us  upon  the 


THE   COMMUNION   OF   GOODS  559 

mountain-top,  from  which  there  is  no  other  perspective  than  the 
glor)'-  of  Christ's  return. 

Putting  that  return  far  from  our  thoughts,  or  altogether  ignor- 
ing it,  we  can  not  possibly  unite  our  life  with  the  life  of  Immanuel. 
The  Holy  Spirit  works  the  eternal  work  of  Love;  but  this  work  is 
never  severed  from  the  Love  of  the  Son,  The  treasure  which  the 
Holy  Spirit  distributes  is  in  Immanuel.  Christ  is  the  Blessed  Head 
of  this  holy  communion  in  which  He  gathers  together  all  God's  elect. 
And,  therefore,  the  eye  may  never  be  taken  from  Christ;  it  must 
always  look  unto  Him ;  it  may  not  cease  to  wait  for  Him. 

This  Love  wrought  by  the  Holy  Spirit  is  the  Bride's  love  for 
her  Bridegroom;  and  thus  the  communion  of  saints  finds  its  com- 
pletion in  the  heart's  most  intimate  communion  with  the  Redeemer 
of  souls. 


XXVII. 
The  Communion  of  Gifts. 

"  Now  the  end  of  the  commandment 

is  charity  out  of  a  pure  heart,  and 
of  a  good  conscience,  and  of  faith 
■unfeigned." — i  Tim.  i.  5. 

Communion  of  goods  in  Jemsalem  was  a  symbol.  It  typified 
the  communion  of  the  spiritual  goods  which  constituted  the  real 
treasure  of  Jerusalem's  saints.  The  other  inhabitants  of  that  city 
possessed  houses,  fields,  furniture,  gold,  and  silver  just  as  well  as 
the  saints,  and  perhaps  in  greater  abundance.  But  the  latter  were 
to  receive  riches  which  neither  Jew,  Roman,  nor  Greek  possessed, 
viz.,  a  treasure  in  heaven.  The  saints  were  holy,  not  in  themselves, 
but  through  Him  who  had  said,  "  Now  are  ye  clean  through  the 
words  which  I  have  spoken  unto  you."  The  Lord  had  indeed  as- 
cended unto  heaven,  but  only  "  to  receive  gifts  for  men  j  yea,  for 
the  rebellious  also,  that  the  Lord  God  might  dwell  among  them." 
And  this  treasure  was  Christ  Himself. 

Speaking  of  the  contribution  which  was  being  collected  in  Mace- 
donia, Achaia,  and  Corinth  for  the  saints  in  Jemsalem,  the  apostle 
admonishes  the  Corinthian  church  to  render  thanks  to  God  for  a 
gift  infinitely  greater  than  the  gold  which  was  to  be  sent  to  Jeru- 
salem ;  and  it  is  in  this  connection  that  he  uses  that  captivating 
expression — "  unspeakable  gift" — which  we  received  in  the  surrender 
of  God's  dear  Son. 

It  is,  therefore,  a  mutual  possession.  Jesus  has  us,  and  we  have 
Him.  He  possesses  the  saints,  and  thej-  possess  Him.  That  He 
possesses  them  is  their  only  comfort  in  life  and  death.  But  that 
they  also  possess  Him,  as  their  own  heart's  treasure,  is  to  them 
source  of  all  their  wealth  and  luxury.  The  Catechism  confesses, 
therefore,  ver>-  correctly  that  the  commtmion  of  saints  consists  first 
of  all  in  the  fact  that  they  are  partakers  of  Him,  and  then  of  His  gifts. 

The  gift  is  not  without  the  Person,  nor  outside  of  the  Person, 
nor  even  before  the  Person.     The  saint  partakes  first  of  Christ,  and 


THE   COMMUNION    OF    GIFTS  561 

from  this  sacred  partnership  flows  every  other  blessing.  Even  as 
the  Head  possesses  the  Body,  and  the  Body  possesses  the  Head,  so 
is  this  also  a  mutual  possession.  Head  and  Body  belong  to  each 
other,  even  tho  the  Head  has  this  advantage  over  the  Body,  that  it 
commands  it  at  will,  while  the  Body  must  follow  the  Head  wher- 
ever it  leads.  "  To  follow  the  Lamb  wherever  He  goeth  "  is  the 
peculiar  mark  of  this  mutual  relation. 

But,  with  the  reservation  of  this  essential  mark,  the  possession 
is  absolute.  The  saints  belong  to  Jesus,  just  as  much  because  the 
Father  has  given  and  brought  them  to  Him,  as  that  He  has  bought 
them,  not  with  gold  or  silver,  but  with  His  own  precious  blood. 
And,  on  the  contrary,  He  belongs  to  His  saints,  not  because  by 
their  own  labor  they  have  obtained  Him,  but  as  a  gift  of  free  grace. 
The  Triune  God  has  ordained  the  Mediator  for  His  people,  to  whom 
He  has  given  and  brought  Him ;  and  the  Mediator  having  come  in 
the  flesh,  has  given  Himself  to  His  people. 

Every  child  of  God  knows  from  his  own  experience  that  Christ 
is  all  his  treasure.  When  Mary  Magdalen  cries  out,  "  They  have 
taken  away  my  Lord,"  she  has  lost  all  the  wealth  of  her  soul.  The 
saints  stand  in  the  faith  and  have  peace  only  when,  in  so  far,  and 
as  long  as  they  possess  Immanuel.  He  is  their  One  and  All.  As 
soon  as  they  find  Him,  a,ll  their  poverty  is  turned  into  wealth. 
Without  Him  they  are  blind  and  naked;  with  Him  want  and  mis- 
ery make  place  for  riches  and  abundance.  With  Him  they  are  set 
in  heaven.  And  when  they  depart  from  this  life  their  hope  and  lot 
for  eternity  depend  upon  this,  whether  they  possess  Him  as  their 
souls'  Savior,  glorious  and  altogether  lovely. 

Hence  this  is  the  most  important :  the  great  treasure  of  the  saints 
in  Jerusalem  was  their  Lord.  This  comprehended  all.  Every  other 
treasure  was  theirs  only  through  Him.  To  possess  Him  was  to 
possess  all  that  He  had  obtained  for  them,  even  justification  and 
sanctification;  all  the  power  given  Him  of  the  Father  for  their  as- 
sistance and  protection ;  all  the  wisdom  and  light,  and  all  the  charis- 
mata, gifts  of  grace,  received  of  the  Father  for  distribution  among 
His  people. 

However,  they  could  not  make  this  partnership  available,  foi 
their  treasure  lay  beyond  their  reach ;  was  not  in  earth,  but  in 
heaven.     Actually  they  remained  poor  and  perplexed ;  rich  for  the 
future,  but  now  needy  and  helpless. 
36 


562  LOVE 

The  following  illustration  will  make  this  clear.  An  English 
millionaire,  well  supplied  with  bank-notes,  in  an  African  village 
finds  himself  reduced  to  beggary.  The  natives,  ignorant  of  his 
wealth  and  not  understanding  the  value  of  bank-notes,  refuse  to  sell 
him  anything  but  for  their  own  currency.  Hence  with  all  his 
treasure  he  is  in  that  distant  place  poor  and  destitute.  In  like 
manner,  being  pilgrims  and  sojourners  in  the  earth,  the  saints 
would  be  spiritually  poor  and  needy  if  there  were  no  Comforter, 
no  Go-between,  who  out  of  His  heavenly  treasure  could  supply  all 
their  need  during  all  the  days  of  their  pilgrimage.  And  this  Go- 
between  is  the  Holy  Spirit.  Of  Himself  He  has  nothing.  By  Him- 
self He  could  never  save  a  sinner.  He  never  adopted  the  flesh  and 
blood  of  children  and  dwelled  among  us;  never  suffered,  died,  and 
rose  again  in  their  behalf.  All  that  He  can  do  is  to  pray  for  them 
with  groans  that  can  not  be  uttered,  and  in  divine  love  come  and 
dwell  with  them.  But  what  the  Holy  Spirit  does  not  possess  Christ 
possesses,  who,  in  our  flesh,  rich  in  His  cross-merits,  lives  with  the 
Father  in  our  behalf. 

And  from  that  treasure  in  Christ  the  Holy  Spirit  takes  and  im- 
parts to  the  saints,  as  the  money  exchanger  supplies  the  English 
traveler  with  the  native  currency.  Not  only  does  He  give  them 
the  spiritual  gold  and  silver  as  it  lies  in  Christ's  treasury,  but  He 
converts  it  into  such  forms  as  their  present  needs  and  conflicts  re- 
quire. And  this  is  the  peculiarly  comforting  feature  of  the  Holy 
Spirit's  work.  He  does  not  scatter  this  treasure  from  heaven  pro- 
miscuously, but  brings  it  home  to  each  of  us  in  a  form  adapted  to 
meet  our  every  condition  and  capacity.  He  does  not  give  strong 
meat  to  babes  nor  milk  to  adults,  but  to  every  spiritual  patient 
according  to  the  nature  of  his  complaint.  Better  than  the  patient 
himself  does  He  understand  the  nature  of  his  infirmity,  to  which  as 
the  divine  Physician  He  adapts  the  remedy. 

To  the  saints  of  Jerusalem  and  to  those  of  the  present  time 
Christ  must  be  a  common  possession.  As  the  former  had  their  mate- 
rial property  in  common — and  this  the  latter  should  have  also,  in 
higher  sense,  through  the  works  of  mercy — so  had  they  and  so  have 
we  our  spiritual  treasure  as  a  common  possession,  in  the  same  Im- 
manuel,  who  enriches  all.  But  the  saints  being  unable  rightly  to 
divide  their  treasure,  the  Holy  Spirit  divides  it  for  them.  He 
takes  every  member's  portion  as  it  lies  in  Christ,  marked  with  His 


THE   COMMUNION    OF   GIFTS  563 

name,  especially  adapted  for  his  particular  need,  and  distributes  it 
carefully  and  without  mistakes,  so  that  every  saint  receives  his 
own.  And  while  thus  every  one  partakes  of  Christ  and  of  His  gifts, 
the  one  Christ  with  His  treasure  is  common  to  all. 

In  the  child  we  can  see  something  of  the  Love  cultivated  by  a 
mutual  possession.  Love  between  the  parents  may  have  grown 
cold,  but  so  long  as  both  can  say  of  their  little  one,  She  is  mine, 
and  "mine"  may  become  "ours,"  there  is  hope  that  the  former 
love  may  return.  In  spite  of  their  differences  both  possess  the  one 
child,  who  with  all  her  love  and  sweetness  belongs  to  both.  And 
this  applies  in  higher  sense  to  the  Christ.  In  the  Church  are  many 
saints,  and  everyone  says:  "  Immanuel  is  tny  Bridegroom."  And 
this  individual  testimony  is  turned  at  last  into  the  general  anthem 
of  praise:  "Immanuel  is  our  Lord."  Surely  every  saint  finds  in 
Christ  something  especially  adapted  to  himself,  yet  all  possess  the 
one  Lord  and  all  His  treasure.  And  this  is  the  very  power  of  love 
which  in  blessing  watches  over  all.  Love  may  grow  cold  and  in 
an  evil  hour  be  turned  into  bitterness;  but  this  is  only  temporarily ; 
love  must  return.  As  in  the  wealth  of  the  mutual  possession  hus- 
band and  wife  felt  their  union,  so  do  the  saints,  considering  their 
mutual  possession  of  Immanuel,  feel  themselves  bound  together  by 
Love's  overwhelming  impression. 

"  One  baptism,  one  faith,  one  Lord,  one  Jesus  for  every  heart," 
"  one  Immanuel  whom  all  call  precious,"  and  herein  alone  lies  Love's 
power  to  keep  in  unity,  and,  after  temporary  separation,  to  reunite 
all  the  saints  of  God. 

And  as  the  communion  of  goods  in  Jerusalem  was  symbol  of  the 
saints'  mutual  possession  in  Immanuel,  so  it  was  also  the  symbolic 
indication  of  their  individual  obligation,  to  have  the  gifts  in  com- 
mon possession,  by  willingly  and  diligently  using  them  for  the 
highest  advantage  of  the  other  members. 

The  Lord  imparts  "  gifts,"  "  ministrations,"  and  "  operations"  as 
St.  Paul  calls  them  (i  Cor.  xii.  4.  5-  6);  adding  that  all  these  gifts 
•are  of  the  same  Spirit,  and  these  ministrations  of  the  same  Lord, 
and  these  operations  of  the  God  who  worketh  all  in  all.  And  then 
he  shows  that  it  is  the  duty  of  the  saints  to  use  these  gifts,  minis- 
trations, and  operations  not  selfishly  for  one's  own  glory,  but  for 
the  Body  of  the  Lord,  which  is  His  Church. 

And  by  this  God's  true  children  are  best  known ;  and  they  know 


564  LOVE 

themselves  best  in  the  gracious  operation  of  which  they  are  the 
subjects.  For  when  the  Holy  Spirit  imparts  talents  and  gifts,  the 
tempter  whispers  in  the  ear  that  it  will  be  for  their  best  advantage 
to  use  these  gifts  for  each  one's  own  glory,  with  their  brightness 
to  shine  and  to  make  himself  a  name  among  men,  and  in  that  way 
the  blessing  will  crown  the  labor  as  a  matter  of  course.  And  alas! 
many  listen  to  these  whisperings  and  thus  defraud  the  household 
of  faith  of  their  individual  gifts,  not  understanding  the  meaning  of 
the  beehive,  which  teaches  that  one  can  purify  honey  without  eat- 
ing of  it. 

And  we  should  not  judge  too  severely ;  this  temptation  is  much 
harder  than  many  are  willing  to  acknowledge,  especially  for  the 
ministers  of  the  Word.  The  people  greatly  admire  your  sermon, 
praise  you  for  it,  talk  about  it,  and  carry  you  upon  their  shoulders. 
And  by  this  miserable  burning  of  incense  one  is  intoxicated  before 
he  knows  it.  It  is  no  more  the  question  whether  Jesus  is  satisfied, 
whether  there  is  a  spiritual  gain  for  the  glory  of  His  name,  but  al- 
most exclusively:  Did  the  people  like  it?  How  did  it  affect  them? 
And  after  a  ten-years'  ministry  under  the  influence  of  such  evil 
whisperings,  the  result  can  scarcely  be  anything  but  the  talent  buried 
out  of  sight,  the  sacred  office  desecrated,  all  spiritual  operation  sus- 
pended, and  the  minister  of  the  Word  little  more  than  a  minister 
to  his  own  glory.  And  the  same  evil  appears  among  the  laymen. 
There  is  a  lack  of  tenderness,  of  love,  of  consecration,  frequently  an 
abuse  of  spiritual  gifts  for  the  gratifying  of  the  ambitious  heart. 
Oh,  we  are  so  fearfully  weak  and  sinful !  Surely,  every  talent 
would  be  buried  and  every  good  gift  spoiled  were  there  no  Holy 
Spirit,  who  with  divine  and  superior  power  watches  against  this 
evil.  For  when  in  the  Church  the  conscience  awakes,  and  talents 
and  gifts  are  once  more  emancipated  from  the  yoke  of  selfish  am- 
bition, we  see  in  it  not  our  work,  but  the  Holy  Spirit's.  Then  we 
do  our  duty.  Then  the  communion  of  saints  revives.  Then  the 
saints  are  once  more  ready  with  gift  and  talent  to  serve  the  Lord 
and  their  brethren.  But  the  power  which  wrought  the  miracle  of 
Love  was  not  ours,  but  of  the  Holy  Spirit. 


XXVIII. 
The  Suffering  of  Love. 

"  Greater  love  hath  no  man  than  this, 
that  a  man  lay  down  his  life  for 
his  friend."— _/c;/<«  xv.  13. 

Ijyve  suffers  because  the  spirit  of  the  world  antagonizes  the  Spirit 
of  God.  The  former  is  unholy,  the  Latter  is  holy,  not  in  the  sense 
of  mere  opposition  to  the  world's  spirit,  but  because  He  is  the  abso- 
lute Author  of  all  holiness,  being  God  Himself.  Hence  the  con- 
flict. 

There  is  no  point  along  the  whole  line  of  the  world's  life  which 
does  not  antagonize  the  Holy  Spirit  whenever  He  touches  it. 
Whenever  we  are  tempted  by  the  world  and  inwardly  animated  by 
the  Holy  Spirit,  there  is  a  clash  in  the  conscience.  As  soon  as  one 
member  breathes  a  worldly  spirit  and  another  testifies  against  it 
in  the  Spirit  of  holiness,  there  is  trouble  and  strife  in  the  family. 
When  in  state,  school,  church,  or  society  a  worldly  tendency  ap- 
pears and  a  current  from  the  divine  Spirit,  there  is  trouble  and 
strife  in  one  or  all.  These  two  oppose  each  other  and  can  not  be 
reconciled.  Compromise  is  impossible.  Either  one,  the  worldly 
spirit,  at  last  closes  our  hearts  against  the  Holy  Spirit,  and  then 
we  are  lost;  or  after  long  conflict  the  Holy  Spirit  vanquishes  the 
world's  spirit;  then  the  prince  of  this  world  finds  nothing  in  us, 
and  our  names  are  written  in  the  gate  of  the  New  Jerusalem. 

And  this  causes  I(rce  to  suffer.  When  love  increases  in  our 
hearts,  owing  to  the  Holy  Spirit's  increasing  activity,  it  must  come 
into  conflict  with  all  that  pertains  to  the  world's  spirit  and  seeks  to 
maintain  itself  in  the  soul. 

This  is  evident  more  or  less  in  little  children.  Indulgence  is 
the  easiest,  but  not  the  best,  method  of  education.  The  indulgent 
mother  does  not  love  her  children,  but  sacrifices  them  to  her  weak- 
ness.    She  finds  it  easier  not  to  oppose  their  wrongdoing;  thus 


566  LOVE 

avoiding  tears,  contradiction,  and  ill-will.  When  they  call  her 
"darling  mother"  it  is  sweet  music  to  her  ear;  hence  she  never 
looks  displeased,  and  rather  than  deny  them  anything  she  antici- 
pates their  desires.  So  she  loves,  not  them,  but  herself.  Her  aim 
is  not  their  good,  or  the  doing  of  God's  will  concerning  them  and 
herself;  but  to  save  unpleasantness  and  to  insure  to  herself  the 
children's  affection.  But  not  so  she  who  loves  her  children  with 
the  Love  shed  abroad  by  the  Holy  Ghost.  Actuated  by  His  Love, 
looking  upon  them  in  His  light,  she  seeks  their  eternal  good.  To 
her  each  child  is  a  patient  in  need  of  bitter  medicine,  which  she 
may  not  withhold.  Her  aim  is  not  the  gratification  of  the  child's 
wish,  but  his  highest  advantage  in  the  way  of  life.  And  this  causes 
conflict;  for  while  the  indulgent  mother  is  ever  pleased  with  her 
children  and  ever  ready  to  hear  men  praise  them,  the  other  is  often 
tossed  between  hope  and  fear,  saying,  "  What  will  the  end  be?" 
Moreover,  the  time  will  come  when  her  child,  not  understanding 
her  love,  will  resist  her,  when  he  will  think  her  lovely  only  when 
she  indulges  him,  when  he  will  reward  her  devotion  with  angry 
look  and  voice  and  wilful  disobedience,  when  his  conversation  be- 
comes constraint,  when,  regarding  her  as  jealous  of  his  pleasures, 
with  a  rebellious  heart  he  will  turn  away  from  her  love,  while  be- 
fore God  she  is  conscious  that  she  seeks  only  his  highest  and  holiest 
interests. 

There  is  another  picture  of  suffering  love.  There  never  arose 
among  men  one  that  had  greater  love  than  Christ.  In  the  human 
heart  love  never  shone  with  brighter  light,  never  glowed  with 
brighter  flame.  Without  measure  He  had  received  the  Holy  Spirit, 
who  abode  upon  Him,  who  filled  Him  with  tenderest  love  that  per- 
vaded the  soul  and  softened  the  heart.  His  love  understood  the 
secret  of  embracing  in  truest  intimacy  all  that  was  hunta?i,  and  at 
the  same  time  of  breathing  love  that  came  like  a  benediction  to 
every  individual.  He  gave  Himself  to  the  whole  race,  and  He 
opens  His  heart  for  an  old,  blind  Jew  in  the  gate  of  Jericho.  Such 
is  the  infinite,  rich,  and  almost  omnipotent  power  of  His  love.  It 
encompasses  eternity,  yet  there  is  no  outcast,  however  degraded, 
too  low  for  its  compassions. 

And  what  reception  did  the  world  prepare  for  Him?  Did  it 
offer  Him  love,  honor,  and  admiration?  Did  it  appreciate  His  holy 
love  and  kindle  its  own  heart  by  its  flame?    On  the  contrary,  the 


THE   SUFFERING   OF   LOVE  567 

world  was  offended  by  it,  could  not  bear  it,  counted  it  as  mortal 
hatred;  for  He  denied  it  its  joys  and  sinful  pleasures.  He  did  not 
even  smile  when  it  was  full  of  laughter,  but  when  it  begged  for  His 
applause  He  had  only  rebuke.  He  prevented  the  Jerusalem  aris- 
tocrat from  being  a  Pharisee,  and  the  worldling  from  being  a  Sad- 
ducee.  His  whole  appearance  was  a  living  protest  against  the 
world's  regime.  Hence  the  world  opposed  Him,  treated  His  Love 
as  hatred,  and  returned  it  with  contempt.  Of  course,  if  He  had 
only  lamented  when  it  mourned,  or  danced  when  it  piped  unto  Him 
in  the  market-place,  it  would  have  built  Him  a  throne.  But  since 
He  loved  it  with  a  holy  love  and  yielded  not  to  its  entreaty,  there- 
fore it  beat  Him,  embittered  His  life,  and  covered  Him  with  shame 
and  mockery.  And  when  He  persisted  to  love  and  admonish,  it 
pronounced  its  "  Anathema,"  and  the  planting  of  the  cross  on  Cal- 
vary was  only  a  question  of  time. 

And  what  it  did  to  Jesus  it  has  done  to  all  His  followers.  He 
that  yields  is  tolerated.  He  that  makes  room  for  the  world's  spirit 
receives  burning  of  incense.  He  that  makes  compromise  with  it 
may  be  assured  of  honor  and  glory ;  but  he  that  refuses  to  com- 
promise, loving  the  world  with  holy  love,  must  sooner  or  later  ex- 
perience its  wrath.  God's  people  in  every  place  and  nation  have 
ever  sung:  "  Many  are  the  afflictions  of  the  righteous."  Every  age 
has  its  martyr-history.  And  the  best  ages  of  our  race,  in  which 
the  Holy  Spirit  exerted  His  mightiest  power,  are  but  the  times 
when  the  noblest  and  godliest  saints  suffered  crudest  tortures  and 
endured  greatest  wrongs. 

Cause  for  love's  suffering  lies  in  its  origin.  Since  it  is  the  Holy 
Spirit  who  radiates  its  heat  in  the  heart,  and  keeps  its  fire  burning 
from  moment  to  moment,  the  unholy  hate  and  reject  it. 

Love  can  bear,  but  not  tolerate,  all  things.  It  bears  sufferings, 
because  it  does  not  tolerate  the  worldly  spirit;  but  the  cry  of 
"  mildness  "  and  "  moderation  "  never  tempts  it  to  quench  the  hatred 
with  which  it  has  entered  the  conflict  with  unholiness.  For  real 
love  is  also  real  hatred.  He  that  loves  feebly  or  falsely  can  not 
hate  energetically.  But  if  ardent,  animating  love  reigns  in  your 
heart,  then  hatred  reigns  with  it.  He  that  loves  the  beautiful 
hates  the  ugly.  He  that  loves  harmony  hates  discord.  In  like 
manner,  he  that  has  fallen  in  love  with  holiness  has  conceived  by 
the  Holy  Spirit  an  equally  strong  hatred  for  all  unholiness.     Love 


568  LOVE 

for  Jesus  can  not  exist  but  with  hatred  for  Satan.  And  the  best 
measure  for  the  love  of  God  in  our  hearts  is  the  depth  of  contempt 
for  sin. 

He  that  loves  the  world  hates  God,  and  has  made  God  his 
enemy;  as  the  Catechism  correctly  remarks:  "By  nature  we  are 
prone  to  hate  God  and  our  neighbor."  "  The  carnal  mind  is  enmity 
against  God."  But  the  man  whose  soul  overflows  with  the  love  of 
God  hates  the  unholy  spirit  of  the  world  in  and  around  him,  and 
fights  against  it  until  the  hour  of  his  death.  David's  testimony — 
"  Do  I  not  hate  them,  O  Lord,  that  hate  Thee?  I  hate  them  with 
perfect  hatred  "  (Psalm  cxxxix.  21) — is  only  the  reverse  of  the  stamp 
of  love.  And  if  among  those  born  of  the  will  of  man  there  never 
was  one  who  could  truly  say,  "  Lord,  I  hate  them  with  perfect  ha- 
tred"; yet  there  was  One  in  whose  heart  this  hatred  was  deep  and 
true,  who  alone  could  say  "  that  He  loved  God  with  all  His  heart 
and  soul  and  mind  and  strength." 

This  mutual  position  is  therefore  very  clear.  There  are  degrees 
both  in  love  and  in  hatred.  In  proportion  as  the  heart  beats 
strongly  or  feebly,  i.e.,  in  proportion  as  the  spirit  of  this  world  or 
the  Holy  Spirit  dwells  in  us  and  animates  us  to  stronger  expres- 
sion, in  that  proportion  that  love  or  that  hatred  shall  rise  in  us  in 
higher  degree.  And  according  to  that  degree  shall  the  proportion 
of  our  present  conflict,  sorrow,  and  suffering  be. 

"  Through  suffering  to  glory  "  is  true  especially  with  reference 
to  love.  Being  love,  it  can  not  be  neutral  or  insensible.  And  while 
Its  contact  with  men  causes  it  much  suffering,  this  suffering  is  in- 
creased by  the  conflict  in  its  own  bosom. 

For  this  pure,  holy  love  loves  itself,  but  only  in  a  holy  sense. 
Altho  it  can  not  purge  its  heart  all  at  once  from  all  unholiness  and 
impurity,  yet  it  constantly  wars  against  them  and  separates  itself 
from  them.  And  since  in  that  conflict  it  is  often  convinced  of  its 
own  lack  of  love  and  faithfulness,  and  of  having  grieved  the  divine 
Love,  it  sorrows  much.  Frequently  it  feels  so  humbled  in  the 
presence  of  Jesus  that  it  scarcely  dares  look  up  to  Him ;  humbled 
in  the  presence  of  His  cross ;  conscious  of  its  inability  to  self-sacri- 
fice; humbled  before  its  own  loved  ones  whom  it  ought  to  bless, 
whom  it  frequently  injures ;  and  especially  in  the  presence  of  the 
Holy  Spirit,  who  tenderly  sought  to  animate  it,  and  whom  it  often 
silenced  by  this  lack  of  courage  and  will  power. 

And  this  grieves  the  soul  of  the  saint,  who  seeks  in  vain  for  the 


THE    SUFFERING   OF    LOVE  569 

evidence  of  his  sonship  in  the  love  of  his  own  fickle  heart.  And 
if  this  love  were  of  man,  it  would  perish  at  last.  But  it  is  not.  It 
is  of  the  Holy  Spirit,  shed  abroad  and  fanned  by  Him  continually. 
Hence  it  is  never  quenched,  but  however  near  perishing,  it  is  re- 
animated, and,  burning  anew  with  a  bright  flame,  it  reenters  the 
conflict. 

History  offers  the  evidence.  There  were  times  when  the  early 
Church  was  nearly  exterminated ;  when  the  Waldensians  were  nearly 
blotted  out  from  the  face  of  the  earth ;  when  our  fathers  consecrated 
and  sacrificed  their  lives  on  this  blood-drenched  soil,  in  order  not 
to  deny  the  Lord  their  God.  F'or  among  these  martyrs  there  were 
men  and  women  to  whom  it  seemed  impossible  to  give  their  lives 
for  Christ ;  who  often  thought :  "  When  it  comes  to  me,  I  will  surely 
fail."  And  yet  when  it  did  come,  the  Holy  Spirit  so  graciously  and 
extraordinarily  steeled  these  souls  that  the  cripple  at  once  leaped 
like  a  hart,  and  they  who  did  not  think  it  possible  to  yield  their 
goods,  sacrificed  their  lives  for  His  Name's  sake.  Then  it  was  shown 
that  in  God's  child  the  love  of  Christ  is  an  eternal  love,  which,  being 
born  of  His  sacrifice,  is  stronger  than  death — yea,  fearless  in  the 
presence  of  torture  and  martyrdom. 


XXIX. 
Love  in  the  Old  Covenant. 

"  A  new  commandment  I  give  unto  yoii, 
that  ye  love  one  another."— ;/oA« 
xiii.  34. 

In  connection  with  the  Holy  Spirit's  work  of  shedding  abroad 
the  love  of  God  in  our  hearts,  the  question  arises:  What  is  the 
meaning  of  Christ's  word,  "  A  new  commandment  I  give  unto  you  "  ? 
How  can  He  designate  this  natural  injunction,  "  To  love  one  an- 
other," a  new  commandment? 

This  offers  no  difficulty  to  those  who  entertain  the  erroneous 
view  that  during  His  ministry  on  earth  Christ  established  anew  and 
higher  religion,  to  supersede  the  antiquated  religion  of  Israel. 

They  assert  that  the  ancient  religious  ideas  of  the  Jews  were 
crude,  defective,  and  primitive,  even  far  below  pagan  morality. 
Among  Israel  themselves  it  was  an  eye  for  an  eye,  a  tooth  for  a 
tooth.  For  their  enemies  they  nursed  vindictive  hatred.  They 
sang  imprecatory  psalms.  And  to  crown  all,  they  indulged  the 
bloodthirsty  desire  of  dashing  the  enemy's  innocent  babes  against 
the  stones.  Among  this  rude  and  barbarous  people  Jesus  arose  to 
proclaim  a  higher  and  nobler  religion.  He  said :  "  Ye  have  heard 
it  was  said  of  old  time,  '  An  eye  for  an  eye,  a  tooth  for  a  tooth ! ' 
but  I  say :  *  Resist  him  not  that  is  evil. '  *  Ye  have  heard  that  it 
was  said,  '  Thou  shalt  hate  thine  enemy ' ;  but  I  say  unto  you : 
'  Love  your  enemies. '  And  whatever  shortsighted  Moses  may  have 
taught  ancient  Israel,  I,  Jesus,  give  you  a  new  commandment,  that 
ye  love  one  another." 

In  this  sense  the  words  "  new  commandjnent"  o^er  no  difficulty. 
"  Neti),"  representing  the  Christian  religion,  is  opposed  to  the  "  old," 
which  stands  for  the  Mosaic  law.  But  however  plausible,  this 
representation  is  thoroughly  false  and  contradicted  by  obvious 
facts. 

In  Matt.  V.  17-20,  Christ  introduces  the  subject  by  showing  that 


LOVE  IN  THE  OLD  COVENANT     571 

He  does  not  oppose  His  Gospel  as  a  superior  code  of  morals  to  the 
antiquated  and  inferior  Mosaic  code,  but  that  it  is  His  aim,  by  oppo- 
sing the  false  hiterJ)rctalions  of  Moses  by  the  liberal,  rabbinical 
schools,  to  restore  the  Mosaic  law  to  its  legitimate  position.  He 
says :  "  Think  not  that  I  am  come  to  destroy  the  law,  but  to  fulfil  ; 
not  merely  in  a  general  sense,  as  tho  the  valuable  germ  which  it 
may  contain  needed,  for  its  development,  only  to  be  divested  from 
its  outward  covering,  but  to  fulfil  it  to  its  very  jot  or  tittle.  For 
whosoever  shall  do  and  teach  them  shall  be  called  great  in  the 
Kingdom  of  heaven."  From  verse  20  it  is  clear  that  He  opposes, 
not  the  righteousness  of  Moses,  but  the  false  interpretation  of  it  by  the 
liberal  rabbis. 

And  after  this  introduction  He  continues :  "  Ye  have  heard  that 
it  was  said  to  them  of  old  time.  Thou  shalt  love  thy  neighbor  and 
hate  thy  enemy."  Did  you  ever  find  this  in  the  Old  Testament? 
Indeed  not;  on  the  contrary,  in  Prov.  xxv.  21  it  reads:  "If  thine 
enemy  be  hungry,  give  him  bread  to  eat ;  and  if  he  be  thirsty,  give 
him  water  to  drink  " ;  and  in  Exod.  xxiii.  3,  4,  Israel  was  taught :  "  If 
thou  meet  thine  enemy's  ox  or  ass  going  astray,  thou  shalt  surely 
bring  it  back  to  him  again.  If  thou  see  the  ass  of  him  that  hateth 
thee  lying  under  his  burden,  and  wouldest  forbear  to  help  him,  thou 
shalt  surely  help  with  him." 

Hence  it  is  unfair  to  say  that  the  Old  Testament  teaches  a  low 
and  unholy  morality,  for  it  inculcates  the  very  opposite.  The 
words  disapproved  by  Jesus  are  found  not  in  the  Old  Testament, 
but  in  the  writings  of  the  liberal  rabbis.  "  Liberal,"  we  say,  for 
many  of  the  rabbis  did  not  support  this  interpretation.  This  shows 
that  a  man  actually  lowers  himself  when  he  lays  upon  the  lips  of 
Jesus  a  charge  against  the  Old  Testament  which  can  be  preferred 
only  against  the  liberal  rabbis. 

Without  going  into  the  details  of  Matt.  v.  21  ^.,  there  is  another 
reason  why  "  nezu  commandment"  can  not  be  interpreted  by  making 
it  to  oppose  the  law  of  Christian  love  to  the  Mosaic  commandment 
of  hatred.  If  Matt.  v.  43,  "  Ye  have  heard  that  it  has  been  said, 
Thou  shalt  love  thy  neighbor  and  hate  thine  enemy,"  had  been  the 
old  commandment  of  Moses,  Jesus  could  have  opposed  it  by  this 
new  commandment :  "  But  I  say  unto  you,  Love  thy  neighbor  and 
thine  enemy."  That  would  have  had  sense.  But  of  the  "new  com- 
mandment "  He   speaks,  fiot  in  this  passage,  but  in  John  xiii.  34, 


572  LOVE 

where  He  treats,  not  of  love  for  the  enemy,  but  of  neighborly  and 
brotherly  love.  He  has  just  washed  the  disciples'  feet;  no  enemy  is 
present,  He  is  among  friends.  And  then  He  says,  not,  "  Moses 
gave  you  the  old  commandment  to  love  one  another,  but  I  say. 
Love  even  your  enemy,  and  this  is  My  new  commandment";  but, 
"  A  new  commandment  I  give  unto  you,  that  [in  your  own  circle] 
you  love  one  another." 

Hence  it  is  evident  that  this  whole  representation,  as  tho  the 
new  commandment  of  love  opposed  the  Mosaic  commandment  of 
hatred,  can  not  for  a  moment  be  maintained.  And  apart  from  this, 
the  divine  law  of  Sinai  can  not  be  anything  but  a  perfect  law ;  and 
Jesus,  Himself  being  its  Author,  can  not  contradict  Himself. 

In  order  to  prevent  the  drawing  of  such  pernicious  inference 
from  the  words  "a  new  commandment,"  St.  John  declares  emphat- 
ically :  "  And  now  I  beseech  thee,  lady,  not  as  tho  I  wrote  a  new 
commandment  unto  thee,  but  that  which  we  have  had  from  the 
beginning,  that  we  love  one  another"  (2  John  5).  And  to  make  it 
still  more  impossible,  he  calls  the  same  commandment  old  and  new, 
according  to  the  viewpoint  from  which  it  is  considered :  "  Brethren, 
I  write  no  new  commandment  unto  you,  but  an  old  commandment, 
which  ye  had  from  the  beginning.  The  old  commandment  is  the 
word  which  ye  have  heard  from  the  beginning.  Again  a  new  com- 
mandment I  write  unto  you,  which  thing  is  true  in  Him  and  in  you ; 
because  the  darkness  is  past  and  the  true  light  now  shineth." 

The  way  is  now  open  to  arrive  at  the  right  understanding  of  this 
new  commandment,  especially  with  reference  to  the  subject  under 
treatment. 

Jesus  and  the  disciples  have  entered  the  inner  sanctuary  of  His 
passion.  Golgotha  discloses  itself.  The  painful  strife  of  the  feet- 
washing  and  of  the  expulsion  of  the  traitor  is  ended.  And  during 
these  solemn  moments  Jesus  speaks  of  His  departure,  of  the  coming 
of  the  Holy  Spirit,  and  of  the  new  relation  which  henceforth  God's 
people  shall  sustain  to  the  Messiah.  From  Paradise  to  the  Lord's 
return  there  is  but  one  salvation  for  all  the  elect,  but  one  way  in 
which  all  walk,  but  one  gate  through  which  all  must  pass.  The 
whole  redemptive  work  flows  from  one  unchangeable  counsel.  And 
herein  lies  the  unity  of  the  Old  and  New  Covenants. 

But,  altho  we  fully  acknowledge  this  unity,  we  may  not  over- 
look the  fact  that,  in  different  dispensations  and  circumstances,  the 


LOVE  IN  THE  OLD  COVENANT     573 

saints  sustain  different  relations  to  their  Lord.  To  see  the  atone- 
ment typified  in  the  promises  of  the  ceremonial  sacrifice  is  one 
thing,  to  look  at  it  as  finished  on  Calvary  is  quite  another ;  and  the 
difference  creates  a  modified  relation.  The  same  is  true  of  living 
before  or  after  the  Incarnation.  To  walk  with  Jesus  on  earth,  or 
to  know  Him  in  heaven,  puts  the  saints  in  a  different  position.  Our 
departed  friends  and  those  who  shall  live  at  the  return  of  the  Lord 
are  in  different  relations;  for  the  latter  shall  not  die,  but  be 
changed  in  a  moment  when  this  mortal  shall  be  swallowed  up  of 
life. 

The  subject  of  Christ's  conversation  before  He  entered  Geth- 
semane  was  this  change  of  the  mutual  position  and  relation.  He 
strongly  emphasizes  the  new  fact  of  the  coming  of  the  Holy  Spirit 
to  be  their  Comforter.  He  Himself  will  depart,  but  their  treasure 
will  be  even  richer  and  more  glorious.  Hence  they  need  not  fear. 
They  will  receive  the  Holy  Spirit  whom  He  will  send  them  from 
the  Father.  Not  as  tho  the  Holy  Spirit  had  not  wrought  already 
for  and  in  Israel's  saints;  for  then  faith  and  salvation  would  have 
been  impossible.  In  fact,  His  work  in  the  souls  of  men  is  as  old  as 
the  generation  of  the  elect,  and  originates  in  Paradise.  But  to  the 
saints  under  the  Old  Covenant  this  operation  came  from  without; 
while  now,  being  freed  from  the  fetters  of  Israel,  the  body  of  the 
Church  itself  becomes  the  bearer  of  the  Holy  Spirit,  who  descends 
upon  it,  dwells  within  it,  and  thus  works  upon  its  members  from 
within. 

This  is  the  new  thing.  This  is  Pentecost.  This  is  all  the  differ- 
ence between  the  dispensation  before  and  after  Christ's  Resurrec- 
tion. This  is  His  promise  to  and  for  His  disciples  and  for  all  His 
saints. 

And  in  this  connection  Christ  speaks  of  the  new  commandment, 
that  they  should  love  one  another.  The  same  love  commanded 
them  by  Moses  was  now  to  affect  them  in  a  different  way,  since  by 
His  departure  they  were  to  enter  into  a  different  relation.  It  is  not 
a  rare  occurrence  when  the  children  of  the  same  family,  suddenly 
orphaned,  feel  as  it  were  a  more  intimate  relation  to  each  other 
than  they  ever  felt  before,  and  at  their  parents'  grave  pleage  one 
another  a  new  love.  As  they  stand  at  the  open  sepulcher  and  look 
at  each  other,  they  suddenly  feel  a  sensation  in  their  hearts  hitherto 
unknown ;  it  is  the  realization  of  a  new  relation.  It  is  the  old,  and 
yet  a  new  love,  with  a  new  conception,  a  new  motive,  a  new  con- 


574  LOVE 

secration.  So  it  is  here.  So  long  as  they  were  with  Jesus,  the  dis- 
ciples loved  one  another;  yet  they  never  understood  the  close  and 
unique  character  of  the  relation.  But  when  Jesus  suddenly  left 
them,  they  realized  the  truth  of  His  new  commandment,  and  their 
love  became  consciously  deeper,  more  intimate,  really  new  love. 

And  this  new  love  is  the  fruit  of  the  Holy  Spirit  dwelling  in  the 
Church.  It  is  like  the  difference  between  carrying  water  with 
great  exertion  from  a  distant  fountain,  and  having  a  stream  from 
that  fountain  flow  by  one's  own  door,  from  which  he  can  drink  co- 
piously, by  whose  invigorating  scent  he  feels  his  spirits  revived, 
into  which  he  can  throw  himself  for  a  refreshing  bath.  The  Holy 
Spirit  comes  with  glorious  blessings  to  the  children  of  God  under 
the  New  Covenant.  They  drink,  not  with  scant  measure,  but  from 
a  full  and  overflowing  cup.  They  revel  in  the  fulness  of  eternal 
Love.  And  He  that  creates  this  blessedness  is  the  Holy  Spirit,  the 
Comforter,  whom  Jesus  has  sent  from  the  Father. 


]/ 


XXX. 
Organically  One. 

'•  From  whom  the  whole  body,  fitly 
joined  together  and  compacted, 
maketh  increase  unto  the  edify- 
ing of  itself  in  love." — Ephes. 
iv.  i6. 

The  netvness  of  holy  Love  lies  in  the  Church.  As  we  look  at  the 
withered  state  of  the  Church  in  almost  every  period,  we  almost 
hesitate  to  make  this  statement;  yet  in  principle  we  maintain  it  to 
its  fullest  extent  and  power. 

The  Church  of  Christ  on  earth  is  like  an  "incluse."  The  "  in- 
clusi"  were  honorable  men  and  women  who  in  the  Middle  Ages 
immured  themselves  in  little  cells  of  stone,  built  under  the  street, 
just  high  enough  to  allow  a  man  to  stand  erect.  After  the  incluse 
had  descended  into  his  cell,  it  was  closed  over  him  with  a  grating . 
and  thus  he  spent  his  lonely,  comfortless  life  in  voluntary  isolation- 
Passers-by  could  see  but  little  of  him.  Through  the  grating  the 
faint  outline  of  a  dark  form  was  dimly  visible ;  but  it  did  not  seem 
to  possess  the  least  attraction ;  did  not  once  suggest  what  manly 
and  noble  stature  might  be  concealed  in  that  cell ;  much  less  what 
extraordinary  power  might  be  embodied  in  that  incluse,  and  what 
hours  and  days  were  spent  in  inward  conflict.  And  such  is  the 
image  of  the  Church  of  Christ  on  earth.  It  is  enclosed  and  can  not 
reveal  itself.  Of  its  real  form  only  a  faint  outline  appears,  almost 
always  unfavorable  and  unprepossessing.  Unless  its  spiritual 
wealth  and  nobility  are  discovered  in  some  other  way,  no  one  will 
surmise  that  this  is  the  Church  which  shall  one  day  decide  the  des- 
tiny of  heaven  and  earth. 

Still  this  is  the  fact.  The  Father  loves  the  Son.  The  body  of 
the  Son  is  the  Church.  Hence  no  one  can  be  saved  but  he  who  is 
incorporated  into  His  body  the  Church. 


5/6  LOVE 

Surely  it  requires  a  great  stretch  of  the  imagination  to  believe 
that  this  muddy  shell  of  the  visible  Church  contains  such  a  precious 
pearl ;  but  the  initiated  believe  it.  They  know  that  in  this  respect 
the  Church  resembles  its  glorious  Head,  in  the  days  of  His  flesh  ;  of 
whom  it  was  said :  "  When  we  shall  see  Him  there  is  no  beauty 
that  we  should  desire  Him.  He  is  despised  and  rejected  of  men; 
we  hid,  as  it  were,  our  faces  from  Him ;  He  was  despised  and  we 
esteemed  Him  not."  And  when  Herod's  soldiers  mocked  and 
shamefully  entreated  Him,  when  stripped  and  dying  He  moaned 
upon  the  cross,  "  I  thirst,"  no  one  but  those  who  looked  beneath 
the  surface  could  surmise  that  this  man  was  the  Lord  of  Glory. 
And  yet  so  He  proved  to  be.  "  He  received  beauty  for  ashes,  the  oil 
of  joy  for  mourning,  the  garment  of  praise  for  the  spirit  of  heavi- 
ness." And  so  it  may  be  said  of  the  Church  while  on  earth.  When 
we  see  her,  there  is  no  beauty  that  we  should  desire  her ;  she  is 
despised  and  rejected.  Every  one  is,  as  it  were,  hiding  his  face 
from  her.  Still,  she  is  the  Lamb's  Bride-elect;  and  the  holy 
Church,  which  without  spot  or  wrinkle  shall  one  day  be  presented 
to  the  heavenly  Bridegroom,  is  concealed  within  her.  And  there- 
fore holy  Love  must  celebrate  its  triumph  in  the  Church. 

The  newness  of  the  commandment,  "  Love  one  another,"  consists 
in  the  fact  that,  being  freed  from  the  bonds  of  the  Jewish  national 
character,  love  can  effectually  operate  in  the  Church.  And  tho  it 
be  objected  a  thousand  times  that  love  is  nowhere  a  greater  stran- 
ger than  in  the  Church,  and  that  rather  strife  and  division,  back- 
biting and  devouring  one  another,  always  have  seemed  to  be  the 
order  of  the  day,  yet  this  lamentable  fact  does  not  alter  the  fore- 
going positive  statement. 

It  should  be  remembered,  in  the  ^/'.y/ place,  that  strife  and  divi- 
sion assume  the  fiercest  aspect  among  those  that  are  most  closely 
related ;  between  brothers  and  sisters  they  are  more  serious  than 
between  strangers.  Cain  and  Abel  were  too  intimately  connected. 
This  is  why  differences  between  husband  and  wife  leave  such  deep 
and  painful  impressions.  Their  mutual  love  can  not  treat  the  mat- 
ter lightly.  It  is  the  very  intimacy  of  the  relation  that  gives  the 
difference  such  a  serious  character. 

Secondly,  we  should  not  forget  that  even  in  the  Church  strife  and 
division  make  the  loudest  noise,  while  love  unseen  quietly  pursues 
its  way.  Among  the  initiated  in  the  Church  there  ever  has  been  a 
communion  of  soul  which  has  nowhere  its  equal — an  attachment 


ORGANICALLY   ONE  577 

and  opening  of  hearts  impossible  but  in  the  Christian  life;  a 
brotherly  love  so  sweet  as  to  surpass  every  other  love. 

AnA.  finally,  for  the  present  time  these  discords  must  continue, 
that  in  the  last  day  the  beauty  and  symmetry  of  the  structure  may 
appear  to  highest  advantage.  During  the  construction  of  a  palace 
one  looks  in  vain  for  symmetry ;  the  eye  meets  but  disproportions 
and  jarring  contrasts.  It  can  not  be  otherwise.  Confusion  there 
must  be  until  the  work  is  completed.  Then  the  pure  and  perfect 
symmetry  of  the  whole  will  be  seen  and  admired.  To  call  for  it 
during  the  time  of  the  building  would  make  the  final  beauty  impos- 
sible. It  would  be  no  profit,  but  loss.  It  would  spoil  the  work. 
Perfect  agreement  of  the  parts,  finished  and  unfinished,  is  out  of 
the  question  so  long  as  the  whole  work  is  not  completed.  Until 
then  perfect  harmony  is  a  matter  of  faith,  not  of  sight.  This  is 
why  the  saint  can  say,  not,  I  see,  but,  "  I  believe  in,  the  Holy, 
Catholic,  Christian  Church." 

This  is  caused  by  another  separating  element  in  the  Church 
antagonizing  love,  viz.,  the  truth.  This  is  evident  from  the  apos- 
tolic word  warning  us  against  sentimental  love,  saying:  "  That  we 
be  no  more  children,  but,  doing  the  truth  *  in  love,  we  grow  up  in 
all  things  unto  Him  who  is  the  Head,  even  Christ"  (Ephes.  iv.  15). 

What  are  we  to  understand  by  truth  opposing  love?  Are  not 
both  from  the  same  source? 

Love  is  union ;  it  joins  and  binds  together  severed  parts  that 
belong  together.  And  this  may  be  done  in  two  ways.  The  easiest 
way  to  match  two  non-fitting  cogwheels  is  to  remove  the  teeth; 
then  their  faces  will  cover  each  other.  A  much  more  difficult  way 
is  to  file  each  tooth  to  the  required  size.  Let  us  apply  this  to  love. 
To  make  the  wheels  fit  each  other  by  removing  the  teeth  is  un- 
doubtedly a  work  of  love ;  for  now  the  wheels  are  perfectly  matched ; 
they  seem  to  be  of  one  piece.  But  the  truth  is  lost;  the  wheels  are 
no  longer  cogwheels.  The  teeth  which  made  them  so  are  missing. 
It  is  true,  to  fit  them  by  filing  each  tooth  to  the  right  size  requires 
inexhaustible  patience,  but  it  retains  the  truth ;  the  wheels  remain 
cogwheels;  even  tho  love,  which  is  the  matching  of  the  wheels, 
comes  slowly,  i.e.,  not  until  the  last  tooth  is  filed  to  its  proper  size. 

The  love  which  ought  to  reign  among  God's  people  is  not  the 
excitement  of  a  dreamy,  mystic  feeling,  destroying  individuality ; 

*  Dutch  Translation. 
37 


578  LOVE 

but  such  uniting  and  knitting  together  of  the  elect  that  each  can 
attain  the  full  measure  of  his  individual  growth  ordained  for  him  in 
the  divine  counsel;  so  that  in  this  completion  the  glory  of  their 
membership  in  the  same  body  may  appear  and  be  tasted  in  the 
blessed  consciousness  of  the  most  tender  and  intimate  union. 

This  is  contained  in  Ephes.  iv.  i6:  "  From  which  the  whole  body 
fitly  framed  together,  and  compacted  by  that  which  every  joint 
supplieth,  according  to  the  effectual  working  in  the  measure  of 
every  part,  maketh  increase  of  the  body  unto  the  edifying  of  itself 
in  love."  In  the  first  place,  the  apostle  does  full  justice  to  the  di- 
vine ordinance  and  honors  the  divine  disposition  in  the  "  joining 
together"  and  "  compacting"  and  "joints  of  supply";  and  then,  by 
this  clearly  defined  path,  he  returns  with  the  words,  "  To  the  edi- 
fying of  itself  in  love,"  to  the  deep  mystery  of  this  holy  intimacy. 

It  is  easy  to  cultivate  love  without  regarding  the  truth.  It  re- 
quires neither  conflict  nor  exertion.  We  simply  file  down  every 
rough  place  and  rub  away  every  wrinkle ;  and  at  last  nothing  re- 
mains to  oppose  love.  But  in  that  way  the  Lord's  disposition  is 
simply  set  aside.  His  ordinance  made  of  no  effect,  and  His  truth 
stumbles  in  the  street.  But  if  you  acknowledge  the  truth  and  the 
divine  counsel  and  disposition ;  if  you  do  not  cavil  at  the  divine 
ordinance  and  arrangement;  if  you  do  not  plane,  file,  and  level, 
but  seek  the  union  of  spirits  in  such  a  way  that  together  they  form 
a  whole,  so  that  the  teeth  of  the  wheels  always  clasp  each  other — 
then  the  cultivation  of  love  meets  many  more  obstacles  and  re- 
quires infinitely  more  care  and  labor.  But  finally  it  will  be 
crowned  with  the  glorious  success  of  obtaining  love  without  sacrifi- 
cing divine  truth. 

Or  to  express  it  more  comprehensively:  God  Himself  is  the 
greatest  obstacle  in  the  way  of  that  quickly  grown  and  immature 
love.  If  God  did  not  exist,  two  seriously  minded  men  could  be 
made  to  agree  much  more  easily.  Then  they  would  be  at  liberty 
to  dispose  and  arrange  matters  to  suit  themselves,  according  to  their 
otvn  choice.  But  God  exists ;  hence  the  disposition  of  things  must 
be  according  to  His  choice.  In  the  covenant  of  love  between  two 
persons  He  is  always  the  Third,  and  claims  that  He  and  His  name 
be  not  sacrificed  to  their  mutual  love.  Hence  all  the  conflict,  diffi- 
culty, and  vexation  of  spirit.  Among  God's  people  love  in  what- 
ever form  is  ever  subject  to  the  first  and  greatest  commandment: 
God  first  and  last.     This  is  why  it  is  not  lawful  to  cherish  and  cul 


ORGANICALLY   ONE  579 

tivate  an  affection  which  excludes  His  love.  In  their  mutual  affec- 
tion they  may  not  ignore  God ;  act  as  tho  God  did  not  exist ;  be  in- 
different to  His  name  and  truth  as  tho  they  were  of  little  account 
and  their  mutual  love  the  principal  thing. 

Nay,  the  wisdom  which  is  from  above  is  first  pure,  then  peace- 
able. Mutual  love  among  the  saints  can  not  flourish  unless  the  saint 
acknowledge  God,  confess  His  name,  exalt  His  truth  as  their  shield 
and  buckler;  praise  His  virtues  and  reverence  His  counsel,  espe- 
cially regarding  their  own  person  and  destiny.  Christian  love, 
new  and  unfailing,  born  here  to  live  forever,  can  scintillate  only 
where  the  name  of  the  Lord  shines  forth  in  His  truth,  where  that 
truth,  bearing  and  animating  souls,  is  experienced  and  confessed. 
And  this  exists,  not  in  sentimentalism,  wheedling  tones,  or  sinful 
indulgence,  but  in  being  united  and  knit  together  by  the  Holy 
Spirit  according  to  the  divine  foreordination. 

At  this  point  the  work  of  the  Holy  Spirit  returns  to  the  eternal 
counsel  of  the  Lord  Jehovah.  From  that  counsel  it  flows;  in  that 
counsel  every  life  has  its  starting-point,  and  to  that  counsel  every 
completed  development  must  return,  impelled  from  its  own  inter- 
nal pressure.  Every  development,  tho  adorning  itself  with  fairest 
names,  which  opposes  that  counsel,  proceeds  in  a  wrong  direction, 
and  must  change  its  course  or  run  into  eternal  death.  That  which 
is  to  receive  consistency,  endurance,  and  eternal,  inexhaustible  ful- 
ness must  spring  from  that  counsel,  and  in  the  end.  with  reference 
to  itself,  correctly  reflect  its  fulness. 

And  since  in  that  counsel  the  parts  do  not  lie  loose,  side  by 
side,  but  are  destined  to  form  one  rich,  spiritual  whole,  it  is  the 
Holy  Spirit  who,  by  fitly  joining  together  these  parts— /.^.,  the  elect 
children  of  God— unites  and  knits  them  together  according  to  that 
counsel.  Only  when  this  is  accomplished,  love's  perfect  beauty 
shall  appear.  Then  the  Church  of  Christ  shall  shine  as  the  bearer 
of  that  love  in  the  presence  of  the  Lord.  And  then  only  the  Holy 
Spirit,  even  the  Spirit  of  Truth,  shall  have  finished  His  greatest 
work — that  of  the  cultivation  of  Love. 


XXXI. 
The  Hardening  Operation  of  Love. 

"  Being  grieved  for  the  hardness  ol 
their  heart." — Mark  iii.  5. 

Love  may  also  be  reversed.  Failing  to  cherish,  to  uplift,  and 
to  enrich,  it  consumes  and  destroys.  This  is  a  mystery  which  man 
can  not  fathom.  It  belongs  to  the  unsearchable  depths  of  the  di- 
vine Being,  of  which  we  do  not  wish  to  know  more  than  has  been 
revealed.     But  this  does  not  alter  the  fact. 

No  creature  can  exclude  itself  from  the  divine  control.  No  man 
can  say  that  he  has  nothing  to  do  with  God ;  that  he  or  any  other 
creature  exists  independent  of  God ;  for  God  upholds,  bears,  and 
carries  him  from  moment  to  moment,  giving  him  life  and  power 
and  all  his  faculties.  Even  Satan  is  not  self-existing.  If  it  pleased 
God  to  discontinue  his  existence,  he  would  cease  from  being.  Sa- 
tan and  all  his  demons  and  all  flesh  live  and  move  and  have  their 
being  in  God.  This  apostolic  word  does  not  signify  an  intimate 
acquaintance  with  the  secret  of  the  Lord,  but  is  merely  the  clear 
and  sober  statement  of  every  creature's  essential  relation  to  the 
Creator.  Whether  sinner  or  saint,  angel  in  heaven  or  demon  in 
hell,  even  plant  or  animal,  each  lives,  moves,  and  exists  in  God. 

Hence  to  withdraw  oneself  from  God  is  utterly  impossible. 
Psalm  cxxxix.  is  not  merely  a  sketch  of  the  divine  omnipresence,  but 
much  more,  in  holy  sense,  a  testimony  and  confession  from  the 
very  root  of  man's  being,  of  the  creature's  absolute  inability  to 
withdraw  himself  from  God's  active  control.  The  misery  of  the 
lost  in  hell  consists  in  the  fact  that  in  their  unholy  and  wicked 
hearts  they  are  subject  to  the  active,  divine  control.  The  cry 
which  once  escaped  from  moaning  lips,  "  Let  me  alone  before  I  go 
hence"  (Job  xx.  21),  is  the  presentment  of  the  unavoidable  control 
of  God,  which  overwhelms  the  ungodly  as  a  calamitous  flood.  If 
God  would  let  them  alone,  there  would  be  no  hell  and  no  misery. 
The  unquenchable  fire  would  be  quenched,  and  the  worm  would 


THE    HARDENING    OPERATION   OF    LOVE     581 

die.  But  He  does  not  let  them  alone.  He  continues  His  hold  upon 
them.  And  this  causes  the  eternal  pain,  and  overwhelms  them 
with  destruction  and  condemnation  forever. 

It  is  represented  sometimes  as  tho  God's  material  dealings  were 
to  be  continued  with  every  man,  whether  good  or  evil,  while  His 
spiritual  dealings  are  confined  to  the  elect.  But  this  is  a  mistake. 
It  is  true  His  sun  rises  upon  the  good  and  the  evil,  and  His  rain  comes 
down  upon  the  just  and  the  unjust;  but  the  same  is  true  spiritually. 
There  is  this  difference,  however,  that  while  the  just  and  the  unjust 
are  both  profited  by  the  rain  and  sunshine,  the  radiation  of  the  Sun 
of  Righteousness  and  the  rain  of  grace  result  in  blessing  for  the 
elect  and  in  destruction  for  the  lost. 

This  is  clearly  illustrated  by  the  effects  of  the  rays  of  the  sun  in 
nature.  In  March  they  melt  the  snow  and  warm  and  fertilize  the 
soil,  while  in  August  they  harden  the  field  and  scorch  its  fruit. 
This  is  caused  by  the  field's  too  close  proximity  to  the  sun  in  sum- 
mer, while  in  spring  it  occupies  the  right  position  in  relation  to  the 
sun.  And  this  applies  to  the  Sun  of  Righteousness.  Standing  in 
the  proper  position  regarding  that  Sun,  one  feels  its  fostering  and 
fertilizing  effects;  but  forsaking  that  position  through  self-exalta- 
tion, aspiring  to  loftier  heights,  he  discovers  immediately  that  the 
Sun  of  Righteousness  no  longer  can  bless  him,  but  must  consume 
him  with  divine  fire. 

The  Scripture  teaches  this  fearful  truth  in  various  ways  and 
under  various  images.  St.  Paul  says  that  the  same  Gospel  is  to 
one  a  savor  of  life  unto  life,  and  to  another  a  savor  of  death  unto 
death.  Concerning  the  holy  Infant,  Simeon  prophesies  that  He 
is  set  for  the  fall  and  rising  again  of  many  in  Israel ;  and  the  prophet 
declares  that  to  the  saints  Messiah  shall  be  a  rock  of  ^^fense,  and 
to  those  who  forsake  their  God  He  shall  be  an  ^/fense  and  a  stone 
of  stumbling.  There  are  branches  apparently  on  the  same  vine ; 
yet  some  are  cast  into  the  fire,  and  others  blossom  and  bear  much 
fruit.  It  is  one  clay  and  the  same  potter;  yet  from  the  same  lump 
are  formed  a  vessel  of  honor  and  a  vessel  of  dishonor;  but  in  both 
cases  it  is  the  same  power. 

The  Scripture  introduces  this  operation  unto  death  and  destruc- 
tion with  the  somber  word,  "hardening  of  heart"  ;  especially  when 
the  hardening  is  the  result  of  resisting  eternal  Love, 

Not  every  effect,  however,  of  the  divine  operation,  destructive 


582  LOVE 

to  the  sinner,  is  in  itself  a  hardening  of  heart.  There  is  also  a 
mere  "giving  up,''  or  "  letting  alone."  This  is  followed  by  the  more 
gloomy  "  darkening."  And  only  then  comes  the  deadly  operation  in 
its  proper  and  limited  sense,  "  hardening  of  heart,  in  its  worst  and 
most  fearful  degree. 

The  mildest  and  yet  awful  form  of  this  destruction  consists  in 
the  fact  that,  according  to  the  testimony  of  the  apostle,  the  Lord 
gives  the  impenitent  sinner  over  to  a  reprobate  mind :  "  Wherefore 
God  gave  them  up  to  uncleanness ;  who  changed  the  truth  of  God 
into  a  lie,  and  worshiped  and  served  the  creature  more  than  the 
Creator"  (Rom.  i.  24,  25).  Again  he  declares  in  verse  26:  "  For  this 
cause  God  gave  them  up  unto  vile  affections."  And  for  the  third 
time  in  verse  28 :  "  And  as  they  did  not  like  to  retain  God  in  their 
knowledge,  God  gave  theju  over  to  a  reprobate  mind,  to  do  things 
that  are  not  convenient,  being  filled  with  all  unrighteousness." 

This  "giving  up"  is  related  to  the  "darkening"  of  which  St. 
Paul  speaks  in  the  same  connection  (ver.  21) :  "  They  became  vain 
in  their  imaginations,  and  their  foolish  heart  was  darkened."  In 
Rom.  xi.  8,  he  describes  the  same  thing  in  the  words  of  Isaiah : 
"  God  hath  given  them  the  spirit  of  slumber,  eyes  that  they  should 
not  see,  ears  that  they  should  not  hear."  Thus  fho."  darkening" 
axid."  the  spirit  0/ slumber"  a.rQth.Q,  gradual  transitions  between  the 
"  being  given  over  to  a  reprobate  mind"  and  the  "  hardening  of  heart" 
in  its  proper  sense. 

When  a  sinner  is  given  over  to  a  reprobate  mind,  the  Lord  al- 
lows him  the  desire  of  his  heart.  He  had  opened  for  him  another 
way ;  but  the  sinful  heart's  desires  and  inclinations  bend  in  a  differ- 
ent direction.  At  first,  divine  Love,  watching  over  him,  prevents 
him  from  gratifying  these  desires.  And  for  this  he  would  thank 
God,  if  his  heart  were  right.  But  he  murmurs  at  this  loving  inter- 
ference of  his  heavenly  Father,  and  seeks  the  means  to  obtain 
what  God  so  far  denies  him.  A  painful  tension  is  the  result :  on 
the  one  hand,  the  sinner  bent  upon  the  execution  of  his  evil  inten- 
tions; and  on  the  other,  God,  who  temporarily  prevents  this  by 
withholding  the  opportunity.  But  when  the  sinner  persists  in  his 
evil  course  and  sears  his  conscience,  then  God  finally  withdraws 
His  loving  care;  the  tension  ceases;  He  lets  the  sinner  have  his  de- 
sire ;  and  the  latter,  given  over  to  a  reprobate  mind,  revels  in  the 
gratification  of  his  unholy  passions;  and,  instead  of  mourning  in 
repentance  before  the  holy  God,  enjoys  his  victory. 


THE   HARDENING   OPERATION    OF    LOVE     583 

However,  even  from  this  awful  condition  return  is  possible.  For 
the  first  joy  of  victory  is  followed  by  a  positive  and  painful  feeling 
of  disappointment.  Surely  he  has  conquered,  but  his  conquest  is 
unsatisfactory :  first,  because  every  sinful  gratification  alarms  the 
conscience,  and  this  is  misery  to  the  soul ;  secondly,  because  unholy 
pleasure  is  always  exhausting  and  disappointing,  never  yields  what 
it  promised,  never  proves  to  be  what  first  it  seemed.  In  such  mo- 
ments salvation  is  still  possible.  Better  feelings  may  be  aroused, 
and  may  lead  the  sinner  to  realize  that  God  is  right  and  loves  him 
better  than  he  loves  himself.  And,  acknowledging  that  God  is 
right,  he  may  cease  to  justify  himself.  Then  salvation's  gates  are 
open,  and  he  may  not  be  far  from  the  heavenly  kingdom. 

But,  overcoming  the  feeling  of  disappointment,  he  falls  imme- 
diately into  a  deeper  depth.  Then  he  explains  his  feelings  in  the 
opposite  way :  disappointed  not  because  he  has  already  drank  too 
deeply  from  the  cup  of  sin,  but  not  deeply  enough.  He  acknowl- 
edges his  disappointment,  but  he  fancies  that  greater  boldness  in 
sin  will  remedy  this.  And  so  comes  the  turning-point.  When  the 
fearful  thought  is  once  conceived  and  admitted,  and  the  heart's 
demon-like  desire  has  sprung  up  deeply  and  systematically  to  revel 
in  sin's  pleasures,  then  he  is  lost.  Then  "  the  vain  imagination  and 
darkening  of  a  foolish  heart"  is  added  to  being"  given  over  to  a  rep- 
robate mind."  Then  the  spirit  of  slumber  takes  possession  of  him. 
He  can  no  longer  discern  the  real  cause  of  his  dissatisfaction  and 
disappointment.  Sin  intoxicates  him  more  and  more.  And  the 
more  he  indulges  the  greater  his  blindness  for  the  consequences. 
Things  lose  their  forms.  The  phenomenal  take  the  place  of  the 
real.  He  has  eyes,  but  not  for  the  real  and  the  true ;  ears,  but  not 
for  the  voice  of  the  eternal  Speaker.  And  so  he  rushes  on  from 
one  sin  to  another;  dissatisfied  with  sin,  yet  thirsting  after  more. 
As  St.  Paul  says,  even  anxious  to  see  others  sin. 

In  the  way  of  salvation  it  is  "  grace  for  grace  " ;  but  in  the  way  of 
sin,  it  is  sin  for  sin.  To  stand  still  is  impossible.  The  path  in- 
clines. 

Thus  God  lets  the  sinner  go.  He  intoxicates  him  so  that  he 
does  not  see  the  precipice  that  yawns  before  him.  And  this  opens 
the  way  for  the  hardening.  Every  effort  to  make  such  a  one  the 
subject  of  saving  grace  is  like  casting  pearls  before  swine ;  then 
Immanuel  must  hide  His  love,  that  seeing  he  see  not,  and  hearing 
he  understand  not. 


XXXII. 
The  Love  Which  Withers. 

"  Therefore  hath  He  mercy  on  whom  He 
will  have  mercy,  and  whom  He  will 
He  hardeneth." — Rotn.  ix.  i8. 

The  idea  of  hardening  is  so  awful  that,  with  all  its  unsanctified 
pity  and  natural  religion,  the  human  heart  rejects  it  as  a  horrible 
thought.  Natural  compassion  can  not  bear  the  idea  that  a  fellow 
man,  instigated  to  evil  by  it,  should  forever  ruin  himself.  And 
natural  religion  can  not  conceive  of  a  God  who,  instead  of  persua- 
ding His  creature  to  virtue,  should  give  him  up  and  incite  him  to 
sin.  This  entire  representation  of  hardening  is  in  such  open  and 
irreconcilable  conflict  with  all  the  feelings  of  the  human  heart  that 
it  is  impossible  to  suppose  that  it  originated  in  the  human  mind. 

When  as  children  we  heard  of  this  hardening  of  heart  for  the 
first  time,  we  could  not  receive  it.  Our  whole  nature  rose  up 
against  it.  And  later  on,  when,  in  connection  with  this  doctrine, 
we  heard  of  the  mysterious  imprecatory  psalms  and  of  an  unavoid- 
able, eternal  doom,  then  our  human  nature  rebelled  against  these 
fearful  things  with  such  irrepressible  force  that  we  preferred 
temporarily  to  forsake  our  confession  rather  than  to  be  forced 
to  accept  such  a  horrible  idea.  Wherefore  skeptics  are  right  when 
they  say  that,  t©  prove  the  inconsistency  of  the  Scripture,  its  mira- 
cles need  not  be  attacked,  for  that  its  doctrine  of  hardening  and 
cursing  antagonizes  the  claims  of  the  heart  even  more  than  the 
doctrine  of  miracles  opposes  the  claims  of  the  reason. 

Hence  the  opposition  against  the  Sacred  Scripture  always  pro- 
ceeds from  two  sides  at  once :  on  the  one  hand,  from  coldly  intel- 
lectual minds  that  are  always  shocked  at  the  Scripture's  so-called 
absurdities  and  impossibilities;  and  on  the  other  hand,  from  the 
emotional  folk,  whose  feelings  are  ever  hurt  by  Holy  Writ.  The 
effort  to  compromise  can  never  satisfy  any  one.  To  say.  "  To  me 
the  Scripture  is  God's  own  precious  Word ;  but  when  I  come  to 


THE    LOVE   WHICH    WITHERS  585 

the  '  imprecatory  Psalms '  and  the  *  hardening  of  heart, '  then  I 
simply  close  my  eyes  and  hold  my  tongue,"  is  no  position  at  all, 
but  mere  self-contradiction. 

And  yet  it  should  be  remembered  that  the  vast  majority  of 
Christians  lose  themselves  in  this  unfortunate  half-heartedness. 
The  Arminian-tinted  do  this  consciously ;  wilfully  they  erect  their 
Dagon  of  the  free  will  as  often  as  the  testimony  of  the  Ark  of  the 
Covenant  has  cast  him  down.  They  are  a  singular  people.  When 
a  doubter  refuses  to  believe  the  Godhead  of  Christ,  they  are  imme- 
diately ready  with  their  Bible  to  prove  from  this  text,  that  passage, 
and  these  recorded  facts  that  Christ  must  be  the  Son  of  God  and 
therefore  God  Himself.  But  when,  with  reference  to  the  doctrine 
of  salvation,  one  proves  to  them  from  the  same  Bible,  with  similar 
texts,  passages,  and  facts,  that  there  is  indeed  a  hardening  of  heart 
wrought  at  times  by  God  Himself,  then  there  is  no  end  to  their 
contradiction  and  they  refuse  to  submit  themselves  to  the  Word. 
They  do  not  seem  to  notice  the  unreasonableness  and  dishonesty 
of  this  course.  It  only  shows  that,  when  people  propose  to  decide 
arbitrarily  which  portion  of  the  Scripture  is  true  and  which  is  spu- 
rious, they  betray  inward  disloyalty  and  a  culpable  lack  of  convic- 
tion. 

For  it  is  either  the  Scripture  which  decides  what  is  true,  or  I 
decide.  If  it  is  the  Scripture,  then  I  must  accept  its  statements 
concerning  the  Godhead  of  the  Lord  Jesus  and  of  the  hardening  of 
the  heart.  But  if  I  decide  according  to  my  own  ideas,  then  I  pre- 
sume to  make  myself  a  judge  of  the  Scripture,  and,  in  the  very 
nature  of  the  case,  its  authority  as  being  a  divine  and  absolute 
testimony  fails  to  affect  me. 

We  do  not  stop  to  consider  those  who  deny  the  hardening  ivil- 
fully.  They  have  departed  from  the  Scripture  and  from  the  divine 
truth.  But  we  notice  those  who  practically  deny  this  doctrine, 
partly  by  ignoring  it,  partly  by  refusing  to  acknowledge  it  as  part 
of  their  confession  relating  to  the  divine  Being.  They  rehearse  the 
Scriptural  statements  regarding  this  doctrine  faithfully  and  cor- 
rectly ;  if  need  be,  they  are  ready  to  defend,  rather  than  for  the 
sake  of  human  sensitiveness  to  deny  it.  On  the  contrary,  their 
orthodoxy  even  on  this  point  is  above  reproach.  What  the  Scrip- 
ture teaches  they  teach,  the  doctrine  of  the  hardening  included. 


586  LOVE 

But  they  only  rehearse  it.  They  know  not  how  to  use  it.  It  leaves 
them  cold ;  they  are  not  in  touch  with  it.  While  they  never  neglect 
to  give  it  a  place  in  their  inventory,  they  do  not  work  with  it.  And 
this  is  the  serious  part  of  their  position,  for  it  is  inconsistent.  He 
who  treats  holy  things  honestly  and  sincerely  must  consider  that 
the  acceptance  or  rejection  of  this  doctrine  necessarily  affects  his 
representation  of  the  divine  Being.  The  representation  of  our  own 
heart  naturally  excludes  the  hardening.  From  this  it  follows  that 
the  God  of  Scripture  who  effects  the  hardening,  and  from  whom  it 
can  not  be  separated,  does  not  agree  with  our  heart's  representa- 
tion of  Himself,  and  therefore  requires  that  we  adopt  another. 

And  this  is  the  difficulty  with  these  practical  doubters.  While 
they  record  the  doctrine  as  a  memorial  in  their  books,  they  never 
apply  it :  partly  because  they  never  consider  the  fearfulness  of  the 
thought,  and  therefore  speak  of  it  unfeelingly;  partly — and  this 
deserves  special  attention — because  they  never  consider  how  the 
earnest  confession  of  the  doctrine  necessarily  affects  their  repre- 
sentation of  the  divine  Being. 

This  last  point  is  of  greatest  importance.  According  to  the  rep- 
resentation of  our  natural  heart,  it  is  immaterial  who  or  what  God 
is  really  and  essentially  if  He  only  loves  us,  whatever  we  are,  and 
to  such  extent  as  ever  to  restore  what  we  destroy.  Hence  God 
Himself  is  of  no  account.  Man  is  the  principal  thing;  and  the 
highest  aim  of  divine  love  is  to  bring  man  sooner  or  later  to  the 
highest  enjoyment  of  bliss,  whatever  his  conduct,  even  tho  to  his 
last  breath  he  should  kick  against  the  pricks.  Such  a  God  would 
exactly  suit  us :  a  God  without  a  character ;  who  in  matters  great 
and  small  counts  for  nothing;  who  by  reason  of  His  ill-proportioned 
love  is  insensible  to  any  insult  that  we  may  offer  Him.  Hence, 
however  wicked  a  man  may  be,  however  insolent  his  treatment  of 
the  Holy  One,  the  good  and  benevolent  Father  will  find  a  way 
eventually  to  lead  him  to  eternal  bliss;  if  not  in  this  life,  then  in 
the  life  to  come.  From  that  follows  that  in  proportion  as  God 
decreases,  in  that  proportion  His  love  increases.  His  love  will  be 
perfect  and  all-excelling  only  when  He  Himself  becomes  nothing 
and  utterly  discounts  Himself. 

Such  representation  of  God  is  the  result  of  a  natural  process. 
To  man,  love  means  self-denial  and  self-sacrifice.  He  is  egotistic; 
and  love  can  not  have  full  sway  within  and  around  him  unless 
he  first  deny  himself,  count  himself  nothing,  mindful  only  of  the 


THE    LOVE    WHICH    WITHERS  587 

neighbor's  needs.  His  human  love  requires  that  he  more  and  more 
ignore  himself,  and  make  the  salvation  of  others  the  only  object  of 
his  existence.  And  since  love  so  works  in  him,  he  imagines  that 
it  must  so  work  in  God.  Unconsciously  he  applies  to  God  the  same 
human  conception  of  love ;  and  finally  he  fancies  that  the  love  of 
God  rises  higher  and  higher  as  His  grace  becomes  more  universal. 
When  one  may  say  that  there  can  be  no  sinner  so  wicked  and 
dishonorable  but  divine  Love  will  eventually  receive  him  in  perfect 
felicity,  and  another,  "  You  are  right,  altho  I  would  make  Judas 
and  those  like  him  an  exception,"  then  the  former  appears  the 
more  plausible.  He  alone  who  includes  even  Judas  among  the 
blessed  has  the  most  worthy  idea  of  the  Love  of  God.  The  least 
doubt  about  it  disparages  that  Love.  And  the  measure  of  that  dis- 
paragement is  determined  by  his  estimate  both  of  the  numbers  of 
the  blessed  and  of  the  lost. 

The  point  at  issue  is  the  Being  of  God.  If  the  human  concep- 
tion of  love  is  applied  to  God,  then  all  men  must  be  saved,  and  God 
has  no  right  to  be  anything  in  relation  to  the  creature.  But  if  we 
confess  that  of  all  beings  God  is  the  Source,  to  whom  therefore  the 
conception  of  creaturely  love  can  not  be  applied,  for  then  He 
would  cease  from  being  the  Supreme  Being,  then  the  whole  objec- 
tion becomes  invalid.  For  then  we  ignore  our  own  ideas  concern- 
ing this  mystery,  and  acknowledge  that  they  can  not  but  lead  us 
astray.  We  also  distrust  the  teachings  of  others,  knowing  that 
no  more  their  heart  than  our  own  can  teach  us  anything  in  this  re- 
spect. And,  from  the  nature  of  the  case,  we  are  made  to  see  that 
on  this  subject  God  alone  can  enlighten  us. 

Hence  either  we  must  deny  that  there  is  a  revelation  concerning 
divine  Love,  so  that  therefore  we  can  neither  deny  nor  confirm 
anything  concerning  it;  or  we  must  confess  that  the  Scripture 
offers  us  such  revelation,  and  then  must  also  acknowledge  as  true 
all  that  Scripture  teaches  regarding  it. 

We  do  not  deny  that  we  ourselves  feel  the  antagonizing  influ- 
ence of  the  doctrine,  and  we  confess  that  it  does  not  at  all  agree 
with  our  creaturely  conception  of  love.  Neither  skeptic  nor  Ar- 
minian  need  remind  us  of  it.  We  are  much  too  human  and  free 
and  untrammeled  to  deny  it.  But  we  absolutely  deny  our  own 
heart  and  feelings  the  right  to  decide  this  matter,  or  even  to  have 
any  voice  in  it,  and  claim  that  we  and  our  opponents  should  unre- 


588  LOVE 

servedly  submit  to  all  that  God  in  His  Word  has  revealed  in  this 
respect. 

While  the  human  heart  contends  that  God  can  not  harden  any 
man's  heart,  Scripture  meets  us,  whether  we  like  it  or  not,  with 
the  awful  testimony:  "  And  whom  He  will  He  hardens."  And  let 
tis  reverently  believe  it,  tho  it  be  with  inward  trembling  of  soul. 


XXXIII. 
The  Hardening  in  the  Sacred  Scripture. 

"He  hath  hardened  their  heart.'*— 
John  xii.  40. 

The  Scripture  teaches  positively  that  the  hardening  and  "  dark- 
ening of  their  foolish  heart"  is  a  divine,  intentional  act. 

This  is  plainly  evident  from  God's  charge  to  Moses  concerning 
the  king  of  Egypt :  "  Thou  shalt  speak  all  that  I  command  thee ; 
and  I  will  harden  Pharaoh's  heart,  and  multiply  My  signs  and  won- 
ders in  the  land  of  Egypt.  But  Pharaoh  shall  not  harken  unto  you, 
and  I  will  lay  My  hand  upon  Egypt,  and  the  Egyptians  shall  know 
that  I  am  the  Lord"  (Exod.  vii.  3-5).  Before  this  the  Lord  had  said 
to  Moses :  "  When  thou  goest  to  return  unto  Egypt,  see  that  thou 
do  all  those  wonders  before  Pharaoh,  which  I  have  put  in  thine 
hand;  but  I  will  make  his  heart  stubborn,  that  he  shall  not  let  the 
people  go"  (Exod.  iv.  21). 

The  principal  person  in  the  Scripture  in  whom  this  awful  truth 
obtains  its  clearest  revelation  is  Pharaoh.  Why  in  him  we  can  not 
tell.  And,  instead  of  looking  down  on  him  from  the  heights  of  our 
own  imagined  piety,  we  should  rather  remember  the  word  of  the 
apostle:  "  And  whom  He  will  He  hardens." 

However,  the  subject  of  this  terrible  judgment  of  hardening 
is  not  the  individual  Pharaoh  in  his  private  life,  but  the  king,  the 
mighty  prince  and  sovereign,  the  ruler  and  despot,  who  in  the 
majesty  of  his  crown  and  scepter  represented  the  supremacy  of 
the  first  g^eat  world-empire  over  the  nations  of  the  earth. 

In  those  days  Egypt  occupied  the  position  subsequently  attained 
by  Nineveh,  Babylon,  Macedonia,  and  Rome ;  it  was  the  embodi- 
ment of  all  the  luster  and  glory  which  the  natural,  sinful,  and  God- 
rejecting  world  could  create.  In  the  cities  of  Upper  and  Lower 
Egypt  men  reveled  in  the  refined  pleasures  of  life.  From  all  the 
surrounding  countries  gold  came  pouring  into  Egypt.  The  rulers 
built  themselves  great  cities  and  strong  fortresses,  sphinxes  and 


S90 


LOVE 


mountain-like  pyramids.  Cities  of  the  dead  were  hewn  out  of  the 
rocks.  Magnificent  sarcophagi  were  chiseled  out  of  exquisitely 
beautiful  marble.  In  a  word,  the  world's  proud  and  majestic  crea- 
tions of  those  days  were  found  on  the  shores  of  the  Nile.  The 
Pharaoh  of  Egypt  was  the  mightiest  man  of  the  earth. 

And  as  such  he  is  the  subject  of  the  hardening.  That  St.  Paul 
views  the  conflict  between  Jehovah  and  Pharaoh  in  this  light  is 
evident  from  his  quotation  of  Exod.  ix.  i6,  where  it  is  expressed  in 
strongest  and  plainest  language :  "  For  I  will  at  this  time  send  all 
My  plagues  upon  thine  heart,  and  upon  thy  servants,  and  upon  thy 
people ;  that  thou  mayest  know  that  there  is  none  like  Me  in  all  the 
earth.  And  in  very  deed  for  this  cause  have  I  raised  thee  up,  for  to 
show  in  thee  My  power;  and  that  My  name  may  be  declared 
throughout  all  the  earth"  (Rom.  ix.  ii). 

These  words  are  meaningless  if  they  are  made  to  refer  to  the 
private  life  of  the  individual  Pharaoh.  No  private  individual  ever 
possessed  such  power.  But  if  they  are  understood  as  referring  to 
Pharaoh  the  great  world-ruler,  they  assume  an  entirely  different 
aspect.  For  he  was  not  the  creator  of  that  power,  neither  was  that 
power  the  creation  of  a  day,  but  the  result  of  a  gradual  develop- 
ment under  God's  own  direction.  Four  centuries  before  Moses, 
God  had  already  spoken  to  Abraham  of  this  mighty  Egypt  and  pre- 
dicted the  conflict  which  His  power  would  bring  upon  it.  Many 
dynasties  of  absolute  monarchs  had  succeeded  one  another.  And 
when  Pharaoh's  dynasty  ascended  the  throne,  the  centralized  gov- 
ernment of  the  empire  was  thoroughly  vested  in  his  person. 

In  His  unfathomable  counsel  the  Lord  had  evidently  led  the 
godless  world  of  that  day  to  concentrate  all  its  wisdom,  power, 
intellect,  and  refinement  in  Egypt's  limited  territory.  Himself 
had  raised  tip  Egypt,  Himself  had  raised  up  its  great  dynasties,  and 
lastly  raised  up  Pharaoh,  who,  wholly  absorbed  into  Egypt's  luxury, 
power,  and  world-majesty,  was  the  embodiment  of  what  the  world 
could  oppose  in  one  man,  and  he  therefore  a  man  of  sin,  against  the 
majesty  of  God. 

And  this  haughty  monarch  enclosed  Israel  in  the  bonds  of  death, 
and  with  them  the  Hope  of  the  fathers,  the  preparation  of  Messiah 
after  the  flesh,  and  the  Church  of  God  in  its  patriarchal  state.  He 
should  have  honored  and  blessed  this  people,  but  he  treated  it 
cruelly.  The  sciences  of  those  days  flourished  in  Egypt.  Historical 
event*  were  chiseled  in  hieroglyphs  upon  stone,  and  published  upon 


HARDENING   IN   THE   SACRED   SCRIPTURE     591 

obelisks  and  sarcophagi  for  the  information  of  the  public.  Hence 
Egypt  could  not  plead  ignorance  as  an  excuse ;  at  the  royal  court 
Joseph  was  still  remembered  as  the  benefactor  of  Egypt,  who 
saved  it  from  famine ;  and  the  Egyptians  could  not  have  forgotten 
their  solemn  promises  to  the  Hebrews.  And  yet  Pharaoh  tyran- 
nized over  the  people,  and  even  sought  to  prevent  their  increase 
by  ordering  the  destruction  of  all  male  infants. 

Hence  Pharaoh,  enslaving  Israel,  represents  the  evil  world- 
power  which  kept  the  Christ  in  bondage.  Wherefore  God  said : 
"  I  have  called  My  Son  out  of  Egypt."  With  Israel  He  called  the 
Messiah  out  of  Egypt.  The  fearful  conflict  was  for  Messiah 
against  Pharaoh. 

This  sheds  some  light  upon  the  puzzling  words :  "  For  this 
cause  have  I  raised  thee  up."  Having  lost  its  prop  by  its  departure 
from  God,  the  world  could  not  manifest  its  sinful  power  but  in  a 
world-empire,  and  in  individual  monarchs.  And  such  manifesta- 
tion was  not  fortuitous,  but  a  logical  necessity,  divinely  intended, 
that  the  divine  power  might  triumph  over  it.  For  this  reason  it  is 
repeatedly  stated :  "  But  the  Lord  hardened  Pharaoh's  heart  "  (Exod. 
X.  20) ;  "  And  I  will  harden  Pharaoh's  heart,  that  he  shall  follow  after 
them,  and  I  will  be  honored  upon  Pharaoh  and  upon  his  host,  that 
the  Egyptians  may  know  that  I  am  the  Lord  "  (Exod.  xiv.  4) ;  "  And 
the  Lord  hardened  the  heart  of  Pharaoh,  and  he  pursued  after  the 
children  of  Israel"  (Exod.  xiv.  8).  Later  on  the  hardening  came 
upon  all  Egypt :  "  And  L,  behold,  L  will  make  stubborn  the  hearts  of  the 
Egyptians,  and  I  will  get  Me  honor  upon  Pharaoh  and  upon  all  his 
host"  (Exod.  xiv.  17). 

Throughout  this  whole  terrible  history  the  prospective  harden- 
ing is  first  announced,  then  carried  into  effect,  and  finally  recorded 
as  accomplished  in  Pharaoh.  For— and  this  deserves  special  no- 
tice—every announcement  of  the  divine  hardening  is  followed  by 
the  announcement  from  the  subjective  standpoint  that  Pharaoh 
himself  hardened  his  heart :  "  And  Pharaoh's  heart  was  stubborn  "  * 
(Exod.  vii.  13) ;  and  again  :  "  And  the  magicians  of  Egypt  did  so  with 
their  enchantments,  and  Pharaoh's  heart  was  hardened""^  (Exod.  vii. 
22) ;  and  again  :  "  And  Pharaoh's  heart  was  stubborn,  neither  would 
he  let  the  children  of  Israel  go  "  (Exod.  ix.  35).  And  for  this  reason 
St.  Paul  writes:  "  Is  there  unrighteousness  with  God?    God  forbid. 

*"And  Pharaoh's  heart  hardened  itself "  (Dutch  Translation). 


592  LOVE 

For  He  saith  to  Moses,  I  will  have  compassion  on  whom  I  will  have 

compassion.  So  then  it  is  not  of  him  that  willeth,  nor  of  him  that 
runneth,  but  of  God  that  showeth  mercy.  For  the  Scripture  saith 
unto  Pharaoh,  Even  for  this  same  purpose  have  I  raised  thee  up,  that 
I  might  show  My  power  in  thee"  (Rom.  ix.  14-17). 

Altho  Pharaoh  is  the  most  conspicuous  figure  in  this  respect, 
yet  the  hardening  is  not  confined  to  him  alone.  Of  Sihon,  the 
feared  despot  of  Hesbon,  it  is  written :  "  The  Lord  thy  God  hard- 
ened his  spirit  and  made  his  heart  obstinate,  that  He  might  deliver 
him  into  thine  hand,  as  appeareth  this  day."  Of  the  allied  kings 
of  North  Palestine,  who  under  Jabin,  king  of  Hazor,  declared  war 
against  Joshua,  it  is  written:  "For  it  was  of  the  Lord  to  harden 
their  hearts,  that  they  should  come  against  Israel  in  battle  "  (Joshua 
xi.  20). 

Satan  said  that  he  tempted  David  to  number  the  people  (i 
Chron.  xxi.  i) ;  but,  from  2  Sam.  xxiv.  i,  it  is  evident  that  he  did  not 
act  without  divine  direction  and  obeyed  only  reluctantly. 

The  prophet  mournfully  asks:  "  O  Lord,  why  hast  Thou  made 
us  to  err  from  Thy  ways  and  hardened  our  hearts  from  Thy  fear?" 
(Isa.  Ixiii.  17) ;  a  touching  complaint  which  echoes  the  awful  proph- 
ecy of  his  installation:  "Go  and  tell  this  people,  Hear  ye  indeed 
but  understand  not,  and  see  ye  indeed  but  perceive  not.  Make  the 
heart  of  this  people  fat  and  make  their  heart  heavy,  and  shut  their 
eyes;  lest  they  see  with  their  eyes  and  hear  with  their  ears,  and 
understand  with  their  hearts,  and  convert  and  be  healed  "  (Isa.  vi. 
9,  10). 

To  the  objection  that  this  is  Old-Testament  theology,  but  that 
such  harshness  is  foreign  to  the  Christian  Church  in  which  Christ 
has  instituted  the  reign  of  Love,  we  reply  that  that  Church  is  as 
old  as  Paradise,  that  in  both  covenants  it  is  the  same  divine  Speak- 
er, and  that  Christ  and  His  apostles  reveal  the  same  hardening.  In 
Matt.  xiii.  14,  Mark  iv.  12,  14,  Luke  viii.  10,  Christ  largely  dwells 
upon  the  fact,  and  states  it,  even  for  the  direction  of  conduct,  in  the 
very  words  of  Isaiah's  inauguration  prophecy,  that  sometimes  God 
causes  the  Word  to  come  to  a  man  in  such  a  way  that  hearing  he 
hears  not,  but  hardens  his  heart.  And  St.  Paul  addressed  the  same 
words  to  the  Romans  (Acts  xxviii.  26;  x.  8).  We  have  already  no- 
ticed his  words,  "  To  give  over  to  a  reprobate  mind,"  and  to  the 
darkening  of  heart,  which  have  the  same  effect  as  the  hardening. 

It  is  remarkable  that  the  New  Testament  especially  presents 


HARDENING    IN   THE    SACRED    SCRIPTURE     593 

the  idea  of  hardening  in  a  passive  form,  not  as  an  act  of  the  sub- 
jects themselves,  but  as  a  calamity  which  has  come  upon  them  as  a 
terrible  consequence  of  their  sins.  In  Rom.  xi.  25  it  reads:  "  For  I 
would  not,  brethren,  that  ye  should  be  ignorant  of  this  mystery, 
that  a  hardening  in  part  is  happened  to  Israel";  in  2  Cor.  iii.  14:  "  But 
their  minds  were  hardened";  in  Rom.  xi.  7,  "And  the  rest  were 
hardened."  So  also  in  Mark  vi.  52:  "Their  heart  waj  hardened"; 
in  Acts  xix.  9:  "  But  divers  were  hardened";  and  lastly  in  Heb.  iii. 
13:  "  But  exhort  one  another  while  it  is  called  to-day;  lest  any  of 
you  be  hardened  through  the  deceitfulness  of  sin." 

With  these  passages  before  us,  it  is  impossible  to  deny  that  the 
Scripture  reveals  God  as  the  Author  of  the  hardening.  And  he 
who  says  that  the  God  whom  he  worships  can  not  harden  any 
man's  heart,  ought  to  see  that  he  does  not  worship  the  God  of  the 
Scripture. 

The  objection  that,  if  hardening  is  a  divine  operation,  then  warn- 
ing and  admonition  are  vain  and  useless,  points  to  another  extreme. 
The  same  Scripture  which  says,  "  And  whom  He  will  He  harden- 
eth,"  says  also,  "  But  exhort  one  another  while  it  is  called  to-day, 
lest  any  of  you  be  hardened."  To  both  these  passages  we  submit, 
bringing  into  captivity  every  thought  to  the  obedience  of  the  Word. 


XXXIV. 
Temporary  Hardening. 

**  Lord,  why  hast  Thou  hardened  oof 
heart?" — ha.  Ixiii.  17. 

That  there  is  a  hardening  of  heart  which  culminates  in  the  sin 
against  the  Holy  Spirit  can  not  be  denied.  When  dealing  with 
spiritual  things  we  must  take  account  of  it ;  for  it  is  one  of  the 
most  fearful  instruments  of  the  divine  wrath.  For,  whether  we  say 
that  Satan  or  David  or  the  Lord  tempted  the  king,  it  amounts  to 
the  same  thing.  The  cause  is  always  in  man's  sin;  and  in  each  of 
these  three  cases  the  destructive  fatality  whereby  sin  poisons  and 
destroys  the  soul  can  not  be  severed  from  the  government  of  God. 

However,  in  studying  this  matter,  we  should  remember  for  our 
own  comfort  that  the  hardening  is  not  essentially  and  invariably 
absolute  and  irreparable.  We  should  distinguish  between  a  tempo- 
rary and  a  permanent  hardening.  The  latter  is  absolute ;  the  former 
passes  away  and  dissolves  into  saving  faith. 

Crying,  "Lord,  why  hast  Thou  hardened  our  heart?"  Isaiah 
represents  persons  who  are  now  in  glory  before  the  throne ;  more- 
over, the  question  itself,  the  sorrow  expressed,  and  the  longing 
after  God  of  which  it  speaks,  suffice  to  assure  us  that  Isaiah  was  no 
Pharaoh.  That  Israel  is  exhorted,  "  Harden  not  your  hearts  as  in 
the  provocation  "  (Psalm  xcv.  8),  proves  that  the  hardening  spoken  of 
had  not  been  intended  forever.  And  the  hardening  that,  according 
to  St.  Paul,  had  come  "  in  part"  to  Israel  was  not  absolute,  as  ap- 
pears from  the  words  "  in  part." 

The  temporal  and  the  pertnanent  hardening  should  not  be  con- 
founded. This  would  drive  the  guilty  sinner  into  spiritual  despair, 
and  raise  the  Cain-thought  in  his  heart — a  danger  that  requires  the 
most  earnest  and  watchful  care.  Satan,  the  enemy  of  souls,  thor- 
oughly understands  all  the  weaknesses  of  the  human  heart.  In  this 
respect  he  knows  more  than  the  best  informed  among  men.  He 
knows  whether  to  attack  a  man  in  the  front  or  from  behind,  to  ruin 
him  with  threats  or  with  flattery,  to  frighten  him  with  despair  or 


TEMPORARY    HARDENING  595 

to  ensnare  him  with  the  prospects  of  peace.  This  is  why  he  de- 
lights again  and  again  in  making  a  man  either  trifle  with  the  dead- 
ly danger  of  his  soul,  or  to  believe  that  he  is  hopelessly  lost  and 
beyond  the  power  of  redemption. 

How  many  souls  has  not  Satan  terrified  with  the  sin  against  the 
Holy  Spirit! — souls  who  never  thought  of  such  a  thing;  who,  on 
the  contrary,  had  a  tender  regard  for  the  Holy  Spirit's  honor  in  the 
hope  of  their  salvation,  but  whom  nevertheless  he  decoyed  into 
the  fearful  belief  of  being  utterly  cast  away,  of  having  committed 
the  unpardonable  sin.  Of  course,  if  such  souls  had  lived  nearer  the 
Word,  more  earnestly  searched  it,  and  adhered  more  closely  to 
the  guidance  of  the  Church's  interpretation  of  this  dark  mystery, 
they  would  not  have  fallen  into  this  snare.  But  as  it  was,  Satan 
whispered  it  into  their  ear,  and,  almost  smothering  their  spiritual 
life,  kept  them,  sometimes  for  years,  languishing  in  the  mortal  fear 
of  being  lost  forever.  And  so  dark  was  the  spiritual  night  that  it 
seemed  that  no  ray  of  light  would  ever  pierce  it. 

And  the  same  is  true  of  the  hardening.  Even  with  this  awful 
spiritual  operation  Satan  plays  his  horrible  game  of  robbing  God's 
children  of  their  spiritual  peace.  Of  course,  this  is  never  without 
their  own  fault.  All  the  spiritual  distress  of  the  saints  is  the  neces- 
sary result  of  their  transgressions,  whether  public  or  private.  But 
he  that  sowed  the  hurtful  seed,  in  the  field  fertilized  by  sin.  was  no 
other  than  the  tempter  of  souls,  who  stealthily  came  to  their  side 
and  suggested  that  their  grievous  state  was  worse  than  being  merely 
"forsaken " ;  that  there  must  be  signs  of  hardening  which  would 
steadily  increase ;  wherefore  the  flower  of  hope  was  withered  and 
all  expectation  cut  off. 

And  for  this  danger  the  soul  must  be  prepared  by  the  clear  and 
definite  distinction  between  the  temporary  and  the  permanent  harden- 
ing. The  former  comes  to  every  one  of  God's  children.  There  is 
not  one,  among  those  grown  old  in  the  way,  who  can  not  recall  the 
time  when  he  felt  the  love  of  God  drawing  him  to  separate  him  from 
some  sin  or  unbelief ;  but  this  seemed  only  to  incite  him  all  the  more 
to  resist  that  love,  to  close  his  ears  to  it  and  with  greater  energy 
to  embrace  the  evil.  It  was  not  with  the  intention  to  persist  in  it, 
but  merely  to  gain  time  wherein  to  enjoy  the  sinful  delights  a  little 
longer,  while  the  divine  love  is  resisted.  We  say :  "  Once  more, 
and  then  we  will  stop  our  resistance."  In  reality,  while  we  thus 
trifle  with  the  love  of  God,  we  believe  that  it  is  quite  strong  enough 


596  LOVE 

to  endure  this  little  opposition.  And  this  may  result  in  a  tempo- 
rary hardening,  which  is  sometimes  very  serious,  and  which  is 
marked  by  and  consists  in  the  fact  that  the  saint  who  intended  the 
next  time  to  break  with  his  sin,  then  discovers,  to  his  dismay,  that 
by  his  temporary  indulgence  the  power  to  resist  has  been  lost. 

And  this  is  God's  righteous  reward.  The  love  that  the  disobe- 
dient saint  resisted  for  the  sake  of  sin  is  insulted  and  refuses  to  be 
trifled  with.  Altho  he  did  not  expect  it,  yet  by  his  obstinate  resist- 
ance of  that  first  love  the  power  of  sin  was  strengthened,  the  soul's 
tender  sensitiveness  was  dulled,  and  the  heart  was  made  callous. 
What  was  first  a  mere  sliver  in  the  flesh  became  a  malignant  boil. 
An  evil  power  developed  itself  imperceptibly  and  unexpectedly. 
He  fights  against  it,  but  in  vain.  After  repeated  falls,  he  ceases 
the  fight,  and  gradually  lapses  into  a  condition  of  hardening  so 
grievous  that  he  can  not  discover  in  his  heart  the  least  trace  of  the 
divine  love. 

However,  this  hardening  is  only  partial,  for  it  has  reference  only 
to  some  special  matter;  and  this  is  the  difference  between  it  and  the 
permanent  hardening.  Apart  from  this  matter,  he  can  still  burn 
with  love  and  zeal  for  his  God ;  he  can  still  open  his  heart  for  the 
operation  of  the  gracious  powers  of  eternal  life,  and  even  have 
blessed  communion  with  the  Lord.  But  these  slowly  disappear. 
The  malignant  abscess  gradually  imparts  its  fever-heat  from  one 
part  to  another.  The  blood  in  the  veins  of  the  soul  is  kept  in  rest- 
less tension,  and  to  this  partial  hardening  is  added  a  sense  of  gen- 
eral forsakenness  that  causes  his  communion  to  become  more  rare 
and  less  refreshing.  There  may  be  an  occasional  drop  of  oil,  but 
there  is  never  a  full,  fresh  anointing.  As  a  result,  he  feels  himself 
poor,  dry,  and  dead ;  he  goes  about  with  the  sentence  of  condemna- 
tion in  his  conscience;  but  in  the  midst  of  his  anguish  his  soul 
groans  unto  God. 

And  the  Lord  hears  that  groan.  There  may  be  no  prayer,  and 
the  Holy  Spirit  may  be  too  far  gone  to  enable  his  soul  to  pour  itself 
out  in  supplications ;  yet  so  long  as  there  is  a  smoking  flax  and  a 
broken  reed  that  vainly  tries  to  lift  itself,  so  long  as  there  is  a  sense 
of  shame  and  an  inward  groan  to  God  for  deliverance,  the  Lord  in- 
clines His  ear,  full  of  compassion,  and  the  hour  approaches  when 
the  Sun  of  Righteousness  shall  dispel  the  clouds  and  melt  the  hard- 
ness of  his  heart.  The  love  first  resisted  now  returns  with  irresist- 
ible power  to  gladden  his  soul.     The  crust  of  ice  begins  to  melt. 


TEMPORARY    HARDENING  597 

A  blessed  emotion  unknown  for  years  makes  itself  felt.  The  dry 
eye  becomes  dim  and  the  inflexible  knee  and  stiff  neck  bend  in 
prayer.  And  the  mercy  and  long-suffering  of  God  cause  the  fresh 
oil  to  flow,  and,  with  a  self-abasement  hitherto  unknown,  the  soul 
believes  and  praises  and  adores  once  more  the  grace  of  the  Lord 
Jesus  Christ  and  the  rich  mercy  of  His  God. 

Altho  a  real  hardening,  yet  it  is  like  that  which  falls  upon  the 
streams  and  fields  in  winter,  when  the  yellow  leaves  fall  from  the 
trees,  the  sun-rays  slant,  and  the  waters  congeal.  But  that  winter 
does  not  last  forever.  Spring  is  coming  soon.  And  when  the 
grass  is  green  again  and  the  birds  sing  in  the  woods,  it  seems  as 
tho,  after  its  winter  sleep,  nature  is  quickened  into  a  richer  and 
more  glorious  life.  Such  is  the  temporal  hardening  of  the  called 
of  God :  a  winter  followed  by  spring,  until  the  dawn  of  the  eternal 
morning  in  the  realms  of  the  everlasting  light. 

But  the  permanent,  the  eternal  hardening  is  not  so.  This  causes 
us  to  think  of  the  world  of  eternal  snow  and  ice  in  the  polar  re- 
gions, where  it  freezes  never  to  thaw,  and  where  nature  is  covered 
with  somber  cerements,  to  be  uncovered  only  when  the  Lord  shall 
come  upon  the  clouds,  and  the  whole  world  shall  melt  with  fervent 
heat. 

It  is  true,  even  amid  that  eternal  snow  and  ice,  a  single  ray  may 
for  a  while  pierce  the  darkness,  the  icicles  may  drop,  and  the  ice- 
fields may  separate ;  but  the  heart  of  that  ice-world  remains  un- 
affected and  its  eternal  foundations  unmoved.  One  iceberg  may 
get  loose  from  the  rest,  but  it  remains  an  iceberg.  It  can  not  thaw 
out;  eternally  hardened,  even  in  nature! 

And  that  world  of  ice  is  the  awful  image  of  the  Sihons  and  Pha- 
raohs, and  of  every  one  who  is  permanently  hardened  and  given 
over  to  the  judgment  of  God.  The  Love  of  God  has  been  sinned 
against  forever,  and  every  expression  of  life  only  adds  to  the  cal- 
lousness of  the  heart,  until  all  feeling,  conception,  and  sensibility 
with  reference  to  spiritual  things  are  utterly  gone.  And  if  there 
be  any  life  and  growth  left,  they  are  the  life  and  growth  of  the 
mildew  which  poisons,  of  the  parasite  which  destroys.  So  fearful 
is  the  hardening  that  the  subject  himself  is  utterly  insensible  of  it. 
In  his  temporal  hardening  the  child  of  God  shall  weep  at  last;  but 
the  other  moves  on  with  boisterous  laughter  to  meet  his  doom. 

The  Lord  God  have  mercy  on  us!  God's  judgment  of  harden- 
ing is  such  an  awful  thing ! 


XXXV. 
The  Hardening  of  Nations. 

"The  election  hath  obtained  it,  and  the 
rest  were  hardened." — Rom.  xi.  7. 

St.  Paul's  word,  at  the  head  of  this  article,  is  strikingly  impres- 
sive, and  its  content  exceedingly  rich  and  instructive.  It  clearly 
announces  the  fact  that  the  hardening  is  not  exceptional  or  occa- 
sional, but  ufiiversal,  affecting  all,  who,  being  in  contact  with  the 
divine  Love,  are  not  saved  by  it. 

The  last  limitation  is  necessary,  for  of  the  heathen  it  can  not  be 
said  that  they  are  hardened.  Only  they  can  be  hardened  who  live 
under  the  Covenant  of  Grace.  It  is  true  that  the  heathen  develop 
a  reprobate  mind.  Their  heart  is  darkened.  Walking  in  their 
own  ways  they  are  impelled  irresistibl5\  for  the  process  of  sin  can 
not  be  stopped ;  but  this  is  not  the  proper  conception  of  the  harden- 
ing as  the  Scripture  presents  it. 

Heathen  nations  and  individuals  may  come  in  direct  contact 
with  the  Lord  and  His  Anointed,  as  Pharaoh  and  Sihon  through 
their  relations  with  Israel ;  and  as  the  Turks  and  the  peoples  of 
India  and  China  who  now  are  in  touch  with  Christian  nations  and 
missionaries.  Of  course,  we  do  not  mean  to  say  that  mere  casual 
contact  with  a  Christian  nation  or  missionary  makes  a  Mohamme- 
dan or  heathen  nation  responsible.  This  is  impossible.  When  in 
Epirus  the  Turks  meet  hordes  who  call  themselves  Christians,  but 
are  utterly  devoid  of  the  Spirit  of  Christ  and  in  savagery  rather  sur- 
pass the  bashi-bazouks,  then  no  ray  from  the  cross  falls  upon  the 
crescent  by  this  meeting.  The  fact  that  a  missionary  settles  in 
an  obscure  corner  of  a  heathen  nation,  opens  a  little  school,  and 
talks  about  the  Scripture  with  a  few  individuals,  in  a  manner  which 
betrays  his  ig^norance  of  human  nature,  does  not  make  that  nation 
responsible.  They  know  nothing  about  it ;  it  leaves  the  national 
life  wholly  untouched. 

The  Christian  nations,   their  governments,  their  churches,  and 


THE    HARDENING   OF   NATIONS  599 

their  missionaries,  may  well  ask  themselves  whether  by  such  play- 
ing at  missions  they  do  not  increase  their  own  responsibilities 
rather  than  those  of  the  heathen  nations.  How  serious  these  re- 
sponsibilities, especially  regarding  the  heathen  and  Mohammedan 
nations!  Owing  to  the  divine  pleasure  the  Christian  nations  pos- 
sess a  moral  and  material  superiority.  England  alone  is  perfectly 
able  to  control  China,  Japan,  the  whole  of  India  and  Turkey  besides. 
There  is  not  the  slightest  prospect  that  the  heathen  nations  will, 
for  a  long  time  to  come,  be  able  to  cope  successfully  with  the  na- 
tions of  Christendom.  In  their  own  native  jungles  they  may  be 
able  to  maintain  themselves,  but  as  soon  as  they  come  in  the  open 
field  they  are  vanquished.  We  may  harass  the  Achinese,  but  it 
never  enters  our  minds  that  they  will  efifect  a  landing  upon  our 
shores. 

Whether  this  will  so  continue  is  another  question.  As  the 
Christian  nations  return  more  and  more  to  Judaism,  and  thence  to 
heathenism,  it  is  very  possible  that  they  will  lose  also  their  mate- 
rial superiority.  There  are  already  signs  showing  that  China  may 
some  time  seriously  vex  the  Christian  nations ;  and  in  India  our 
possession  is  not  as  undisturbed  as  once  it  was.  The  ancient  moral 
greatness  and  world-supremacy  of  the  heathen  nations  should  not 
be  forgotten ;  it  is  only  fifteen  centuries  ago  that  that  state  of  things 
was  reversed.  All  the  more  reason  why  the  Christian  nations 
should  consider  that  they  owe  their  power  and  glory  only  to  the 
name  of  Christ;  and  that  they  are  responsible  unto  God  for  the 
performance  of  their  duty  toward  these  nations.  God  demands  that 
we  bring  them  in  contact  with  Christ ;  and  they  themselves  are  en- 
titled to  it. 

This  contact  should  be  comprehensive.  It  should  be  noticeable 
in  the  European  and  American  settlers  in  those  countries ;  in  the 
laws  and  institutions  which  we  impose  upon  them ;  in  the  writings 
and  information  which  we  bring  them ;  especially  in  our  preaching 
of  Christ  among  them.  And  comparing  these  moderate  claims 
with  the  reported  shameful  manner  in  which  men  calling  them- 
selves Christians  act  in  those  countries,  their  immoralities,  their 
cruelties,  their  grasping,  their  corrupting  of  the  nations  by  their 
unjust  laws  and  iniquitous  practises— ^.^. ,  the  opium  traffic— it  is 
obvious  that,  instead  of  our  being  the  cause  of  the  hardening  of  the 
heathen  nations,  our  own  debt  and  responsibilities  with  regard  to 
them  are  largely  increased. 


6oo  LOVE 

It  is  true  that  some  nations  have  labored  among  the  heathen 
with  great  success;  there  are  even  some  small  heathen  nations 
which,  owing  to  their  contact  with  excellent  Christian  men,  gov- 
ernors and  missionaries,  may  be  said  to  have  come  into  contact  with 
Christ;  and,  if  they  did  not  receive  Him,  such  contact  must  be  the 
cause  of  their  hardening.  But  these  are  exceptions,  and  we  mem- 
bers of  the  Reformed  churches  can  not  boast  that  our  share  in  revo- 
lutionizing the  heathen  world  will  be  very  great. 

But  with  these  exceptions  we  limit  the  hardening  to  men  who, 
living  in  Christian  countries,  have  long  been  under  the  influence  of 
the  Gospel.  This  applies  also  to  Israel  under  the  Old  Covenant. 
The  Church  now  spread  among  the  nations  was  hid  in  Israel.  The 
hardening  seldom  occurred  among  the  heathen,  and  as  a  rule  was 
confined  to  the  Jews.  In  saying  that  the  elect  have  obtained  it, 
while  the  rest  were  hardened  (Rom.  xi.  7),  St.  Paul  evidently  refers 
to  Israel  exclusively,  as  appears  from  the  context :  "  Israel  hath  not 
obtained  that  which  he  seeketh  for ;  but  the  election  hath  obtained 
it,  and  the  rest  were  hardened."  And  then  follows  a  description  of 
this  hardening,  borrowed  from  Isa.  xxix.  10:  "The  Lord  hath 
poured  out  upon  them  a  spirit  of  deep  sleep;  eyes  that  they  should 
not  see,  and  ears  that  they  should  not  hear."  Hence  the  hardening 
which  now  manifests  itself  as  a  new  working  is  confined  to  the 
Christian  Church.  The  hardening  still  upon  Israel  is  an  a//^r-effect 
oi  the  ancient  judgment;  it  is  not  new.  By  their  Christ-rejection 
before  Gabbatha,  on  Calvary,  and  on  Pentecost,  they  brought  it 
upon  themselves,  and  can  not  be  delivered  from  it  except  through 
the  gift  of  new  grace.  Hence  in  the  discussion  oi  present  hardening 
it  does  not  come  into  consideration. 

As  a  rule,  the  hardening  which  in  our  days  and  in  our  own  cir- 
cles manifests  itself  is  confined  to  the  Christian  Church,  and  fol- 
lows in  the  track  of  holy  Baptism. 

And  here  we  distinguish  a  personal  and  a  collective  hardening. 
With  reference  to  the  latter,  a  sad  but  well-known  fact  will  explain 
our  meaning.  In  many  districts,  here  and  elsewhere,  the  correct 
ideas  of  holy  wedlock  are  falsified ;  not  only  recently,  but  for  ages. 
This  is  evident  from  the  fact  that  the  marital  relation  is  entered 
upon  through  sin  before  the  marriage  is  confirmed,  making  it  "  ob- 
ligatory," as  it  is  said.  This  is  a  collective  hardening  against  the 
divine  blessing  of  holy  wedlock.  It  is  a  popular  sin  which  affects 
not  only  the  individual,  but  his  entire  generation  and  whole  envi- 


THE    HARDENING   OF   NATIONS  6oi 

ronment.  In  like  manner  there  is  sin  in  every  trade  and  business, 
without  which  it  is  said  one  can  not  be  a  business  man.  "  Every 
man  is  a  thief  in  his  own  store";  and  with  such-like  sinful  jests  the 
matter  is  dismissed.  Every  new  clerk  is  properly  initiated.  He 
that  does  not  know  the  tricks  is  deemed  incompetent,  and  the  un- 
willing are  said  to  spoil  the  game. 

In  this  sense  there  is  a  collective  hardening  in  many  countries 
and  churches  which  has  fallen  upon  the  multitudes  as  a  spirit  of 
slumber.  One  has  only  to  compare  the  churches  of  Scotland  and 
of  Spain  to  be  convinced  of  the  fact.  The  churches  of  both  coun- 
tries confess  the  name  of  the  same  Lord  Jesus  Christ;  they  read 
the  same  Gospel ;  partly  sing  the  same  psalms ;  there  is  scarcely  one 
mystery  of  faith  confessed  in  Scotland  that  is  not  confessed  in 
Spain.  But  with  all  this  similarity,  what  immeasurable  difference ! 
In  both  nations  one  is  baptized  with  the  same  Baptism  and  nour- 
ished with  the  same  Lord's  Supper;  but  how  vastly  different  the 
manifestation  of  the  ecclesiastical  life !  We  do  not  deny  that  in  the 
churches  of  Scotland  there  may  be  many  a  lack  and  defect.  We 
even  allow  that  in  the  Church  of  Spain  there  may  be  an  occasional 
tender  glow  of  love,  while  in  the  north  of  Great  Britain  we  find 
something  cold  and  chilling.  But  apart  from  this,  what  clear  and 
positive  consciousness  in  Scotland,  and  how  heavy  the  veil  which 
covers  the  face  of  Christ's  Church  in  Spain!  It  is  true  Spain  still 
possesses  the  confession  of  saving  truth,  but  deeply  buried  under 
numberless  human  institutions.  The  luster  of  holy  things  divine  is 
dim  and  feeble.  We  deny  not  the  working  of  divine  grace  in  the 
Spanish  Church,  and  we  gladly  admit  that  Christ  is  preached  even 
under  the  veil,  and  that  His  elect  are  being  gathered  unto  eternal 
life.  But  for  the  rest,  what  dulness  of  soul,  what  hardening  of 
spirit !  It  is  evident  that  in  that  grandly  beautiful  country  an  evil 
power  oppresses  the  spirits,  against  which  they  wrestle  in  vain. 

Altho  less  conspicuously  and  on  a  smaller  scale,  the  same  collec- 
tive hardening  is  found  everywhere.  In  the  Scottish  Highlands  the 
Church  is  much  purer  than  in  the  Lowlands.  In  the  Lutheran 
Church  in  Norway  spiritual  life  is  much  tenderer  than  in  Saxony. 
In  the  Canton  du  Vaud  it  is  much  more  energetic  than  in  Berne. 
And  in  our  own  land,  who  does  not  mourn  for  Drente  as  compared 
to  Zeeland?  Who  does  not  know  that  the  rural  districts  of  South 
Holland  are  spiritually  much  more  susceptible  than  those  of  North 
Holland?    And  who  can  fail  to  notice  the  difference  between  sand 


602  LOVE 

and  clay  in  Friesland  and  in  Gelderland?  But  if  we  possess  deeper 
insight  and  larger  life,  owing  to  the  more  favorable  circumstances 
of  environment  and  education,  we  should  not  boast  ourselves.  If 
we  had  been  planted  in  such  dry  ground,  we  should  probably  have 
grown  up  just  as  thin  and  ill-favored. 

To  measure  every  man's  guilt  with  reference  to  this  collective 
hardening  is  not  our  business,  but  the  Lord  is  the  Judge  of  all  the 
earth.  But  it  is  our  business  to  oppose  this  hardening,  wherever 
we  meet  it,  with  the  leaven  of  the  Word,  and  to  pray  without  ceas- 
ing for  deliverance  from  this  spiritual  plague.  Again  and  again 
the  hardening,  which  had  been  upon  villages  and  cities  and  whole 
countries,  has  been  lifted  by  the  boldness  of  a  single  preacher  of 
righteousness.  It  may  be  incurable  as  in  Sodom  and  Gomorrah, 
which  were  to  be  destroyed,  while  Nineveh  could  still  repent.  But 
this  is  exceptional.  Ordinarily  we  see  the  most  hardened  nations 
awake  from  their  spiritual  slumber  as  soon  as  the  preacher  of  re- 
pentance summons  them  to  return  to  God, 

Altogether  different  is  the  personal  hardening  which,  in  greater 
or  smaller  measure,  comes  upon  all  who  live  under  the  influence  of 
the  Gospel  without  being  quickened  by  it — who  were  baptized  with 
water  and  not  with  the  Holy  Spirit ;  and  of  this  personal  hardening 
the  apostle  testifies:  "The  election  hath  obtained  it,  but  the  rest 
were  hardened." 


XXXVI. 
The  Apostolic  Love. 


"  He  hath  blinded  their  eyes  and  hard- 
ened their  hearts." —/oAn  xii.  40. 


It  is  singular  that  the  hardening,  in  its  most  awful  manifesta- 
tion, finds  its  exponent  not  in  Jeremiah,  the  stern  preacher  of  re- 
pentance, nor  in  St.  Paul,  the  logic  confessor  and  witness  of  the 
divine  sovereignty,  but  in  St.  John,  the  apostle  of  love.  St.  John 
knows  men  whom  he  designates  as  "  children  of  the  devil,"  who  as 
such  are  the  opposite  of  the  children  of  God. 

Jesus  had  entered  the  holy  city  amid  the  hosannas  of  the  en- 
thusiastic multitudes.  All  Jerusalem  apparently  came  out  to  hail 
Him.  Even  the  resident  Greeks  asked  for  Him.  It  was  the  hour 
of  triumph  and  glory.  And  yet,  in  the  midst  of  this  popular  ap- 
plause, Jesus  knows  that  He  is  the  "  Man  of  Sorrows,"  and  declares 
to  His  disciples  that  He  is  like  the  grain  of  wheat  which,  "  except  it 
fall  into  the  ground  and  die,  abideth  alone,  but  if  it  die  it  bringeth 
forth  much  fruit."  Then  He  cried  out :  *'  Now  is  My  soul  troubled. 
And  what  shall  I  say?  Father,  save  Me  from  this  hour;  but  for  this 
cause  came  I  unto  this  hour.  Father,  glorify  Thy  name."  And  im- 
mediately there  came  a  voice  from  heaven,  saying:  "I  have  both 
glorified  it  and  will  glorify  it  again."  The  people  that  surrounded 
Him  "  thought  that  it  had  thundered,  and  others  said  that  an  angel 
had  spoken  to  Him."  It  was  one  of  the  most  solemn  and  impressive 
signs  that  ever  have  attended  the  preaching  of  the  Word — an  event 
like  that  of  Carmel ;  a  direct  answer  from  heaven. 

Still  under  its  impression,  Jesus  continues  His  words  to  the  mul- 
titude, saying:  "  While  ye  have  the  light  believe  in  the  light,  that 
ye  may  be  the  children  of  the  light."  And  what  was  the  answer.' 
Another  hosanna  like  that  when  Jesus  had  raised  Lazarus  from  the 
dead,  and  which  was  honestly  meant  by  some?  Indeed  not.  When, 
instead  of  promising  them  that  He  would  raise  up  the  kingdom  and 


6o4  LOVE 

deliver  it  from  Roman  bondage,  Jesus  presented  to  them  the  claims 
of  faith,  then  they  resisted  Him,  and  the  evil  in  their  eyes  betrayed 
the  opposite  of  peace  in  their  hearts.  The  same  Nazarene  whom  a 
moment  ago  they  had  hailed  with  the  waving  of  palms,  they  now 
are  ready  to  bury  under  showers  of  stones.  Jesus,  seeing  this,  de- 
parted and  hid  Himself  from  them.  And  thus,  on  that  public 
square  of  Jerusalem,  the  multitude  was  left  alone.  They  had  re- 
jected the  King  whom  they  should  have  adored.  A  voice  had 
spoken  from  heaven,  but  they  had  stopped  their  ears. 

Deluded  people!  You  know  not  whom  ye  have  rejected,  and 
that  your  rejection  of  to-day  must  lead  to  His  crucifixion  to-mor- 
row. You  rejected  Him,  and,  with  Him,  yourselves  forever.  For 
this  is  what  St.  John,  the  witness  of  peace  and  love,  under  the  di- 
rect inspiration  of  the  Holy  Spirit,  writes  concerning  them :  "  Tho 
He  had  done  so  many  miracles  before  them,  yet  they  believed  not 
on  Him,  that  the  saying  of  Esaias  the  prophet  might  be  fulfilled, 
which  he  spake.  Lord,  who  hath  believed  our  report?  and  to  whom 
is  the  arm  of  the  Lord  revealed?  Therefore  they  could  not  believe, 
because  Esaias  said  again.  He  hath  blinded  their  eyes  and  hard- 
ened their  hearts;  that  they  should  not  see  with  their  eyes,  nor 
understand  with  their  heart,  and  be  converted,  and  I  should  heal 
them." 

"  They  ^^«/^;/<?/ believe."  No  judgment  could  be  keener,  more 
direct,  more  fearful !  Who  can  hear  these  words  without  an  aching 
heart?  Who  trembles  not  when  the  holy  apostle  declares  that  such 
are  the  ordinances  of  the  Kingdom?  Who  does  not  bow  the  head 
in  the  presence  of  such  blinding  mysteries?  Oh,  that  we  might 
erase  these  words  from  the  Gospel !  But  we  may  not.  Tho  they 
most  painfully  affect  us,  tho  we  can  not  sufficiently  admonish  one 
another  never  to  speak  of  these  fearful  mysteries  but  with  a  loving 
and  sorrowing  heart,  yet  they  may  not  be  taken  from  the  Gospel. 
Without  them  even  St.  John's  Evangel  would  not  be  intact,  rich, 
and  complete.     The  Scripture  may  not  be  emasculated. 

It  was  Jesus  who  discovered  that  these  wretchedly  sinful  men 
of  Jerusalem  were  hardened  and  stiffnecked.  This  comes,  not  to 
men  in  Rome  or  Athens,  but  to  men  in  the  Jewish  capital.  It  is  re- 
markable that  when  the  Greeks  came  to  Philip  naively  asking  tor 
Jesus,  these  children  of  Abraham  should  be  manifested  as  hardened 
in  their  hearts.     There  had  been  such  men  in  Jericho,  Bethany,  and 


THE    APOSTOLIC    LOVE  605 

Jerusalem  twenty  years  ago ;  but  the  apostle  declares  that  this  som- 
ber prophecy  of  the  completed  hardening  was  fulfilled  to  its  fullest 
extent  only  in  the  men  who  were  then  the  leaders  of  public  opinion 
in  Jerusalem,  who  were  hardened  by  their  contact,  not  with  John 
the  Baptist,  but  with  Jesus. 

The  effect  of  contact  with  Jesus  is  so  decisive  that  it  determines 
the  whole  subsequent  course  of  a  man's  life  and  being  forever. 
There  is  no  one  greater  and  more  glorious  than  Jesus.  Whom  Jesus 
does  not  save  can  not  be  saved.  He  who  sees  no  light  in  Jesus 
must  forever  wander  in  darkness.  He  is  the  touchstone.  Tested 
by  Him,  the  soul  stands  revealed. 

From  this  narrative,  and  from  all  that  the  Scripture  reveals  on 
this  subject,  it  is  therefore  piteously  evident  that  our  greatest  glory, 
viz. ,  our  Christian  assurance  and  the  most  awful  misery  which  the 
soul  can  conceive,  the  hardening  of  a  human  being,  stand  side  by  side, 
belong  together  in  causal  connection.  Rock  of  offense ;  fall  and 
rising  again  for  many  in  Israel ;  a  sign  that  shall  be  spoken  against ; 
savor  of  life,  but  also  savor  of  death — we  wonder  how  it  is  possi- 
ble that  He  who  is  the  Savior  of  the  soul  can  also  cause  its  deadly 
corruption  to  become  manifest ! 

And  yet  it  is  a  fact ;  the  Word  of  God  leaves  no  room  for  doubt. 
And  what  is  still  more  wonderful,  this  fearful  operation  of  being  a 
savor  of  death  proceeds  from  Christ  in  one  of  the  most  glorious 
moments  of  His  life :  in  the  moment  when  He  shines  in  all  the 
greatness  of  His  majesty.  The  hour  had  come  when,  like  a  grain 
of  mustard-seed,  He  should  fall  into  the  ground.  The  Galileans 
saw  their  Lord.  The  Greeks  asked  after  Him.  The  voice  from 
heaven  was  still  vibrating  in  their  ears.  With  touching  entreaty 
He  called  them  to  repentance.  And  it  is  in  that  moment  that  the 
enmity  of  the  human  heart  shows  Him  its  deadly  hatred,  and  in  its 
base  resistance  compels  Him  to  hide  Himself.  And  then  their 
hardening  of  heart  becomes  manifest. 

There  is  no  escape  from  this  critical  moment.  Every  man  must 
be  drawn  to  Christ.  And  he  that  has  come  to  Him  must  see  more 
and  more  of  His  greatness  and  holiness,  and  become  more  inti- 
mately acquainted  with  Him.  And  by  this  very  entrance  into  the 
inner  sanctuary  the  lost  soul  discovers  its  own  true  inwardness,  and 
whether  it  will  ever  come  to  a  rending  of  the  veil. 

But  from  this  we  should  never  draw  the  wrong  inference,  that  it 
is  then  the  safest  course  never  to  bring  our  children  to  Jesus.     This 


6o6  LOVE 

is  not  left  to  our  decision.  The  Lord  of  Hosts  is  He  who  com- 
mands us:  "  Suffer  the  little  children  to  come  unto  Me."  But  what 
this  deep  mystery  ought  to  teach  us  is,  not  to  throw  holy  things 
to  the  dogs,  nor  to  make  an  ostentatious  display  of  divine  truth. 
Altho  we  do  not  judge  others,  but  rather  let  their  zeal  in  spreading 
the  Gospel  rebuke  our  lukewarmness,  yet  we  must  remind  them  of 
the  fact  that  they  deal  7vith  fire.  Surely  no  other  than  the  sharp  two- 
edged  sword  of  the  Spirit  can  reach  the  inward  seat  of  corruption ; 
but  remember,  carelessly  handled,  it  may  wound  some  vital  part. 
And  therefore,  in  the  spirit  of  love,  we  must  ever  admonish  the 
brethren  never  to  preach  the  awful  Gospel  in  a  thoughtless  and 
careless  manner,  but  always  with  greatest  caution  and  holy  ear- 
nestness. For  the  work  of  preaching  the  Gospel  is  exceedingly  deli- 
cate. 

As  to  the  question.  How  does  the  hardening  occur?  we  simply 
say  that  every  effort  to  be  wise  above  that  which  is  written  must 
be  opposed;  being  conscious  of  our  own  limitations,  we  prefer  to 
watch  lest  our  own  soul  fall  under  this  terrible  judgment,  rather 
than  to  lose  ourselves  in  the  vain  effort  to  analyze  what  we  can 
not  conceive  of  but  in  the  unity  of  the  holy  mystery. 

But  this  we  may  say :  that  in  nature  God  offers  us  many  illus- 
trations of  the  fact  that  in  its  highest  activity  the  same  power  can 
have  opposite  effects.  Without  rain  the  field  parches  and  vegeta- 
tion burns;  but  the  same  rain  that  elsewhere  makes  the  grain  to 
grow,  in  the  ill-drained  field  causes  the  crop  to  decay.  The  same 
sun  that  warms  the  ground  and  matures  the  grain  in  one  acre,  will 
harden  the  ground  and  scorch  the  crop  in  another.  The  same  food 
that  nourishes  and  strengthens  the  healthful,  burdens  the  weak  and 
endangers  the  life  of  the  sick.  Knowledge  is  glorious,  and  at  its 
fountain  man  loves  to  quench  his  thirst;  but  how  appalling  the 
corruption  caused,  either  by  its  one-sided  application  or  by  an  ill- 
proportioned  estimate  of  its  value !  Holy  and  tender  is  the  bond 
between  husband  and  wife,  mother  and  child ;  but  is  there  any  pas- 
sion that  has  added  more  to  the  pollution  and  desecration  of  human 
life  than  this  very  desire  for  the  married  state  and  this  longing  to 
become  a  mother? 

The  law  is  universal  that  the  highest  excellency,  failing  to  ac- 
complish its  purpose,  reverses  its  action  and  causes  destruction, 
pollution,  and  often  hopeless  ruin,  in  much  greater  measure  than 


THE   APOSTOLIC    LOVE  607 

if  it  were  less  excellent.     And  knowing  this,  is  it  strange  that  the 
same  law  prevails  in  the  highest  domain,  viz.,  the  Love  of  God? 

Hardening  is  but  the  effect  of  the  divine  Love  turned  in  the  op- 
posite direction.  It  cherishes  or  it  consumes.  It  draws  to  heaven 
or  it  blights  in  hell. 


XXXVII. 
The  Sin  Against  the  Holy  Ghost. 

"The  blasphemy  against  the  Holy 
Ghost  shall  not  be  forgiven  unto 
men." — Matt.  xii.  31. 

Altho  the  love  of  God,  failing  of  its  purpose,  always  causes 
hardening  of  heart,  yet  at  times  it  has  a  still  more  terrible  effect, 
for  it  may  lead  to  the  sin  against  the  Holy  Ghost. 

The  results  of  this  sin  are  especially  crushing  and  terrible. 
Christ's  words  concerning  it  are  startling  and  penetrating,  casting 
the  guilty  soul  into  everlasting  despair : 

"  He  that  is  not  with  Me  is  against  Me ;  and  he  that  gathereth 
not  with  Me  scattereth  abroad.  Wherefore  I  say  unto  you.  All 
manner  of  sin  and  blasphemy  shall  be  forgiven  unto  men ;  but  the 
blasphemy  against  the  Holy  Ghost  shall  not  be  forgiven  unto  men. 
And  whosoever  speaketh  a  word  against  the  Son  of  man,  it  shall  be 
forgiven  him ;  but  whosoever  speaketh  against  the  Holy  Ghost,  it 
shall  not  be  forgiven  him,  neither  in  this  world,  neither  in  the  world 
to  come  "  (Matt.  xii.  30-32). 

St.  Mark  puts  it  still  more  harshly :  "  Verily  I  say  unto  you.  All 
sins  shall  be  forgiven  unto  the  sons  of  men,  and  blasphemies  where- 
with soever  they  shall  blaspheme.  But  he  that  shall  blaspheme 
against  the  Holy  Ghost  hath  never  forgiveness,  but  is  guilty  of  an 
eternal  sin"  (Mark  iii.  28,  29,  R.  V.). 

St.  John  writes  concerning  it :  "  If  any  man  see  his  brother  sin 
a  sin  which  is  not  unto  death,  he  shall  ask,  and  He  shall  give  him 
life  for  him  that  sins  not  unto  death.  There  is  a  sin  unto  death ;  I 
do  not  say  that  he  shall  pray  for  it.  All  unrighteousness  is  sin,  and 
there  is  a  sin  not  unto  death.  We  know  that  whosoever  is  born  of 
God  sinneth  not;  but  he  that  is  begotten  of  God  keepeth  himself, 
and  that  wicked  one  toucheth  him  not"  (i  John  v.  16-18). 

And  St.  Paul  writes :  "  For  it  is  impossible  for  those  who  were 
once  enlightened,  and  have  tasted  of  the  heavenly  gift,  and  were 


THE   SIN   AGAINST  THE   HOLY   GHOST     609 

made  partakers  of  the  Holy  Ghost,  and  have  tasted  the  good  Word 
of  God,  and  the  powers  of  the  age  to  come,  if  they  shall  fall  away, 
to  renew  them  again  unto  repentance ;  seeing  they  crucify  unto 
themselves  the  Son  of  God  afresh,  and  put  Him  to  an  open  shame. 
For  the  earth  which  drinketh  in  the  rain  that  cometh  oft  upon  it, 
and  bringeth  forth  herbs  meet  for  them  by  whom  it  is  dressed,  re- 
ceiveth  blessing  from  God;  but  that  which  beareth  thorns  and 
briers  is  rejected,  and  is  nigh  unto  cursing;  whose  end  is  to  be 
burned"  (Heb.  vi.  4-8).  Such  cutting  words  would  perplex  the 
soul,  if  he  had  not  added :  "  But,  beloved,  we  are  persuaded  better 
things  of  you,  and  things  that  accompany  salvation,  tho  we  thus 
speak.  For  God  is  not  unrighteous  to  forget  your  work  and  labor 
of  love,  which  ye  have  showed  toward  His  name"  (vs.  9,  10). 

They  are  words  of  comfort,  which,  however,  do  not  detract  from 
the  dead  earnestness  with  which  he  speaks  in  the  tenth  chapter: 
"  For  if  we  sin  wilfully  after  that  we  have  received  the  knowledge 
of  the  truth,  there  remaineth  no  more  sacrifice  for  sins,  but  a  cer- 
tain fearful  looking  for  of  judgment  and  fiery  indignation,  which 
shall  devour  the  adversaries.  He  that  despised  Moses'  law  died 
without  mercy  under  two  or  three  witnesses.  Of  how  much  sorer 
punishment,  suppose  ye,  shall  he  be  thought  worthy  who  hath 
trodden  under  foot  the  Son  of  God,  and  hath  counted  the  blood  of 
the  covenant,  wherewith  he  was  sanctified,  an  unclean  thing,  and 
hath  done  despite  unto  the  Spirit  of  grace?  For  we  know  Him  that 
saith,  Vengeance  belongeth  unto  Me,  I  will  recompense,  saith  the 
Lord.  And  again,  The  Lord  shall  judge  His  people.  It  is  a  fear- 
ful thing  to  fall  into  the  hands  of  the  living  God  "  (Heb.  x.  26-31). 

Much  more  might  be  added.  It  is  written  of  Esau  that  he  could 
find  no  place  of  repentance.  St.  Peter  and  St.  Jude,  full  of  indig- 
nation, write  of  persons  who  "  have  gone  the  way  of  Cain,"  who 
"  ran  greedily  after  the  error  of  Balaam,"  and  who  "  perished  in  the 
gainsaying  of  Korach."  But  these  words  have  no  direct  reference 
to  the  sin  against  the  Holy  Spirit.  Enough  has  been  said  to  con- 
vince our  readers  that  we  treat  this  fearful  sin,  not  upon  our  own 
authority,  but  upon  the  authority  of  the  Holy  Spirit. 

We  open  the  discussion  by  emphasizing  that  no  child  of  God 
could  or  ever  can  commit  this  sin.     It  is  necessary  to  say  this  to 
prevent  many  souls  from  being  troubled.     There  is  such  unutter- 
able distress  in  these  words  of  Jesus:  "  All  manner  of  sin  shall  be 
39 


jio  LOVE 

forgiven  unto  men,  but  the  blasphemy  against  the  Holy  Spirit  shall 
not  be  forgiven ;  neither  in  the  present  world,  neither  in  the  world  to 
come."  For  that  sin  there  is  no  intercession  either  in  heaven  or  on 
earth.  Such  prayer  is  even  denounced  and  forbidden  as  unholy. 
Indeed,  we  realize  how  afflicted  souls,  tossed  with  tempest  and  not 
comforted,  especially  when  suffering  from  a  weak  brain  and  un- 
sound nerves,  can  become  so  morbid  as  to  ask :  Have  I  committed 
that  sin?  And  if  so,  what  is  the  use  of  prayers  and  tears?  For  then 
I  am  lost,  hopelessly  and  forever. 

And  such  cruel  spiritual  distress  may  not  be  allowed.  It  is  the 
result  of  a  defective  religious  training,  and,  still  more,  of  the 
preaching  which,  culpably  ignorant  of  the  deep  ways  of  the  soul, 
prates  about  many  things,  but  scarcely  ever  treats  the  solemn 
things  that  pertain  to  eternity.  It  must  be  reiterated  to  these  afflict- 
ed souls  referred  to,  clearly  and  distinctly,  that  no  child  of  God 
ever  can  commit  this  sin.  It  does  not  belong  to  the  broken  and 
contrite  heart,  but  cankers  only  in  the  proud  spirit  that  opposes  the 
Lord  and  His  holy  ordinances. 

It  is  true  the  apostle  declares  that  the  men  guilty  of  this  sin 
"were  once  enlightened"  and  "have  tasted  of  the  heavenly  gijt"  and 
"  were  made  partakers  of  the  Holy  Ghost"  and  "  have  tasted  the  good 
Word  of  God  and  the  powers  of  the  age  to  come  " ;  but  they  are  never 
said  to  have  had  a  droken  and  a  contrite  heart.  On  the  contrary, 
they  mind  high  things ;  they  rely  upon  their  exalted  experiences ; 
boast  of  a  certain  partiality  which  the  Lord  has  lately  shown  them ; 
but  give  no  evidence  that  they  ever  smote  the  breast,  or  fell  down 
as  dead  before  the  divine  Majesty,  or  ever  found  it  a  consuming 
fire. 

It  is  a  singular  fact  that  the  very  persons  who  make  us  think  of 
the  word  of  Scripture,  "  Let  him  that  thinketh  he  standeth  take 
heed  lest  he  fall,"  are  never  afraid  of  eternal  perdition  ;  while  those 
who  are  in  not  the  least  likely  to  sin  against  the  Holy  Ghost  are 
frequently  in  fear  and  trembling  lest  they  fall  into  it.  Physicians 
of  insane  asylums  are  familiar  with  the  facts. 

And  there  is  but  one  remedy  for  these  afflicted  souls,  viz.,  to 
feed  them  with  Scripture  before  they  are  afflicted.  Of  course,  he 
that  broods  and  mutters  about  his  sin  outside  of  the  Word  can  not 
escape  being  haunted  by  the  Cain-thought  of  a  sin  too  great  to  be 
torgiven,  and  in  the  end  the  loss  of  his  mind.  But  he  who  lives 
near  the  Word  is  safe  and  can  not  be  so  afflicted. 


THE    SIN    AGAINST   THE    HOLY   GHOST     6ii 

The  Scripture  gives  a  clear  and  transparent  exposition  of  the  sin 
against  the  Holy  Spirit.  The  scribes  who  had  come  down  from 
Jerusalem  were  seeing  glorious  things  and  were  hearing  heavenly- 
words,  for  Jesus  was  standing  in  their  midst.  And  while  with  eye 
and  ear  they  were  tasting  of  these  heavenly  gifts,  they  dared  say : 
"  He  hath  Beelzebub,  the  prince  of  the  devils."  And  to  this  blas- 
phemous statement  Jesus  answered  immediately  that  these  per- 
sons had  committed  the  sin  against  the  Holy  Ghost,  "  because  they 
said  He  had  an  unclean  spirit."  Wherefore,  among  well-disposed 
persons,  there  can  be  no  difference  of  opinion  in  this  matter.  The 
sin  against  the  Holy  Spirit  can  be  committed  only  by  persons  who, 
beholding  the  beauty  and  majesty  of  the  Lord,  turn  the  light  into 
darkness  and  deem  the  highest  glory  of  the  Son  of  God's  love  to 
belong  to  Satan  and  his  demons.  And,  since  the  afflicted  souls 
already  referred  to  are  conscious  of  their  inability  to  grasp  holy 
things,  and  are  acquainted  with  the  sinful  suggestions  of  their  own 
heart,  yet,  despite  these  suggestions,  earnestly  desire  to  be  per- 
suaded of  their  Savior's  love,  therefore  it  is  impossible  that  they 
can  ever  become  the  guilty  victims  of  despair. 

It  may  not  be  denied,  however,  that  in  the  hearts  of  the  saints 
awful  thoughts  sometimes  arise  against  the  Holy  One.  The  pool 
of  iniquity  underneath  our  hearts,  with  its  poisonous  gases,  contin- 
ues until  death.  While  we  are  engaged  in  the  reading  of  the  Word, 
in  prayer,  or  in  holy  meditation,  suggestions  sometimes  flash  through 
the  mind  which  startle  us  as  the  poisoned  sting  of  a  wasp,  which 
we  would  like  to  tear  from  head  and  heart,  from  which  we  shrink 
with  the  cry  as  tho  struck  by  lightning :  O  God,  deliver  me !  But 
these  suggestions  have  nothing  to  do  with  the  sin  against  the  Holy 
Spirit ;  for  we  do  not  identify  ourselves  with  them,  do  not  cherish 
them,  but  cast  them  aside  as  we  would  an  adder.  They  come 
through  us,  but  are  not  of  us.  Or,  rather,  they  spring  from  our  sin- 
ful nature,  but  are  unwedded  to  our  will — in  fact,  repugnant  to  our 
will. 

We  should  take  heed,  therefore,  lest,  by  departing  from  the 
Scripture,  we  estrange  our  souls  from  the  love  of  God.  This  would 
please  Satan  only  too  well.  He  loves  to  use  that  sin  against  the 
Holy  Spirit  to  vex  weak  souls,  and  their  anguish  delights  his  heart. 
Therefore  they  must  not  be  allowed  to  brood  upon  this  fearful 
word  of  Scripture.     It  is  true  the  Gospel  is  terribly  in  earnest,  but 


6i2  LOVE 

at  the  same  time  it  is  the  Gospel  of  all  consolation,  and  no  man  may 
ever  rob  it  of  that  character. 

In  close  adherence  to  the  Word,  we  add  that  ordinary  wander- 
ers from  God  do  not  commit  the  sin  against  the  Holy  Spirit;  for 
they  have  seen  naught  of  the  powers  and  glories  of  the  age  to  come 
(Heb.  vi.).  To  commit  this  sin  two  things  are  required,  which 
absolutely  belong  together : 

First,  close  contact  with  the  glory  which  is  manifest  in  Christ  or 
in  His  people. 

Second,  not  mere  contempt  of  that  glory,  but  the  declaration 
that  the  Spirit  which  manifests  itself  in  that  glory,  which  is  the 
Holy  Spirit,  is  a  manifestation  of  Satan. 

One  may  sin  against  the  Son  and  not  be  lost  forever.  There  is 
hope  of  pardon  in  the  day  of  judgment  for  the  men  who  crucified 
Him.  But  he  who  desecrates,  despises,  and  slanders  the  Spirit, 
who  speaks  in  Christ,  in  His  Word,  and  in  His  work,  as  tho  He 
were  the  spirit  of  Satan,  is  lost  in  eternal  darkness.  This  is  a  wil- 
ful sin,  intentionally  malicious.  It  betrays  systematic  opposition 
to  God.  That  sinner  can  not  be  saved,  for  he  has  done  despite 
unto  the  Spirit  of  all  grace.  He  has  lost  the  last  remnant  in  the 
sinner,  the  taste  for  grace,  and  with  it  the  possibility  of  receiving 
grace. 

Hence  this  word  of  Jesus  is  divinely  intended  to  put  souls  on 
their  guard ;  the  souls  of  the  saints,  lest  they  treat  the  Word  of  God 
coldly,  carelessly,  indifferently;  the  souls  oi  false  shepherds  and 
deceivers  of  the  people  who,  ministering  in  the  holy  mysteries  of 
the  cross,  contemptuously  speak  of  the  "  blood  theology" — blas- 
pheming the  supremest  manifestation  of  divine  love  as  an  unright- 
eous abomination ;  the  souls  of  all  who  have  forsaken  the  way, 
who  once  knew  the  truth  and  now  reject  it,  and  who  in  their  self- 
conceit  decry  their  still  believing  brethren  as  ignorant  fanatics. 
Their  judgment  shall  be  heavy  indeed,  Nineveh  did  not  resist  the 
prophet,  and  was  exalted  above  Capernaum  and  Bethsaida! 

From  this.  Christian  love  deduces  a  twofold  exhortation : 

First,  to  professed  believers,  by  ignorance  and  presumption  not 
to  tempt  others  to  fall  into  this  sin. 

Second,  to  erring  brethren,  not  to  say  that  skepticism  is  the  way 
leading  to  the  truth.  For  this  very  skepticism  is  the  fatal  gate  by 
which  the  sinner  enters  upon  the  awful  sin  against  the  Holy  Spirit. 


XXXVIII. 
Christ  or  Satan. 

"  But  the  greatest  of  these  is  Love." 
— 1  Cor.  xiii.  13. 

However  fearful  the  Scripture's  revelation  of  the  hardening  of 
heart,  yet  it  is  the  only  price  at  which  the  Almighty  offers  man  the 
blessed  promise  of  Love's  infinite  wealth. 

Light  without  shadow  is  inconceivable ;  and  the  purer  and  the 
more  brilliant  the  light,  the  darker  and  the  more  distinctly  delin- 
eated the  shadows  must  be.  In  like  manner,  faith  is  inconceivable 
without  the  opposite  of  doubt ;  hope  without  the  distressful  tension 
of  despair  ;  the  highest  enjoyment  of  love  without  the  keenest  inci- 
sion of  hatred.  If  this  is  so  among  men,  how  much  more  strongly 
must  it  appear  when  God  sheds  abroad  His  love  by  the  Holy  Spirit? 

Even  among  men  love  always  loses  in  depth  what  it  gains  in 
breadth.  Hence  there  are  multitudes  of  men  of  whom  all  speak 
well  and  no  one  speaks  ill ;  who,  tho  not  pursued  by  hatred,  are 
neither  loved  with  passionate  love.  And  there  are  men  whom  no 
one  can  treat  with  indifference ;  who  inspire  some  with  ardent  love 
and  others  with  violent  hatred.  How  devoted  the  love  of  Timothy 
and  Philemon  for  St.  Paul,  and  with  what  hatred  did  the  Jewish 
teachers  persecute  him !  How  affectionate  the  attachment  of  the 
circle  of  German  Reformers  for  Martin  Luther,  and  how  bitter  the 
violence  of  the  Romish  hierarchy  against  him !  How  deep  and 
tender  the  love  of  our  Christian  people  for  Groen  van  Prinsteren, 
the  noble  champion  of  our  Christian  interests,  and  how  fierce  the 
hatred  and  bitterness  wherewith  the  men  of  neutrality  have  pursued 
him  all  the  days  of  his  life !  The  court  circles  of  St.  Petersburg 
almost  worship  the  Russian  Czar,  while  every  nihilist  abhors  him 
as  an  incarnate  devil. 

And  this  is  true  in  every  country  and  every  age.  As  soon  as 
love  has  taken  root  in  the  soil  of  principles,  it  separates  the  best 
friends  and  finds  itj;  ooDOsite  pole  in  the  most  fearful  hatred.     Love 


6i4  LOVE 

which  is  inspired  only  by  amiable  traits,  which  has  no  other  ground 
than  mutual  good  will,  which  is  the  daughter  of  a  compliant  dispo- 
sition, which  is  supported  by  mutual  service,  burning  of  incense  or 
self-interest,  never  arouses  such  hatred.  But  as  soon  as  love  adopts 
a  nobler  and  holier  character;  when  it  loves  the  friend  not  for  his 
appearance,  disposition,  winning  ways,  and  pleasing  forms,  but  in 
spite  of  his  unyielding  nature,  stern  claims,  and  disagreeable  traits, 
simply  because  he  is  the  bearer  of  a  conviction,  the  interpreter  of  a 
principle,  the  mighty  pleader  of  an  ideal,  then  hatred  can  not  tarry 
a  year,  but  follows  love  in  its  wake,  and  rages  as  bitterly  and  vio- 
lently as  love's  attachment  is  tender  and  animating. 

This  was  never  more  obvious  than  in  the  Person  of  Christ.  His 
contemporaries  are  entitled  to  fair  treatment.  With  the  exception 
of  those  to  whom  it  had  been  specially  revealed,  not  one  saw  in  the 
Rabbi  of  Nazareth  the  Son  of  God,  the  Hope  of  the  Fathers,  and 
the  Promised  Messiah,  The  great  mass  of  the  people  hailed  Him 
merely  as  the  Hero  of  His  conviction,  the  Preacher  of  Righteous- 
ness, One  who  was  filled  with  zeal  for  high  and  holy  principles. 

And  what  does  the  history  of  His  life  reveal?  That  at  the  first 
meeting,  enchanted  by  His  holy  eye,  touched  by  His  eloquent  word, 
overcome  by  Plis  word  of  love,  men  offer  Him  homage  and  join  the 
hosannas  of  the  multitudes.  But  also  that  this  superficia,l  ac- 
quaintance is  soon  followed  by  a  change  of  inclination  and  disposi- 
tion, in  some  developing  into  positive  faith  and  entire  surrender  to 
His  Person,  and  in  others  into  hatred  which  becomes  more  violent 
day  by  day. 

Jesus  troubled  no  one.  No  bitter  word  ever  escaped  His  lips. 
There  were  thousands  whom  He  blessed  and  not  one  whom  He 
harmed.  Even  the  little  child  :en  He  drew  to  Himself  and  kissed 
their  smiling  lips.  And  yet,  already  at  His  firs .  appearance  in 
Nazareth,  evil  passions  begin  to  rage  against  Him.  What  the 
wrong  was  that  He  had  done  no  one  could  tell ;  but  they  could  not 
bear  Him ;  He  annoyed  them ;  He  was  to  them  an  eyesore ;  He 
must  go.  So  long  as  He  remains  in  the  land  of  the  living,  there 
can  be  no  rest  in  Palestine,  so  they  thought. 

This  accounts  for  the  frequent  eflforts  of  the  mob  to  stone  and 
kill  Him;  for  the  foul  epithets  they  applied  to  Him,  saying  "that 
He  was  beside  Himself,""  that  He  had  a  devil  and  was  mad,"  "  that 
He  stirred  up  the  people,"  that  He  was  a  "glutton"  and  "wine- 


CHRIST   OR   SATAN  615 

bibber."  And  when  all  this  was  of  no  avail,  and  Jesus  continued 
to  inspire  the  few  with  still  greater  love,  and  the  number  of  the 
Johns  and  Marys  increased,  then  they  judged  that  severer  meas- 
ures should  be  taken;  then  the  hatred  became  persecution;  then 
the  honest  women  of  Jerusalem  cried,  "  His  blood  be  upon  us  and 
upon  our  children";  and,  thirsting  after  His  blood,  the  mob  cried, 
'  Crucify  Him  ! "  and  the  tempest  of  unholy  passion  abated  not  until 
they  saw  Him  dying  upon  the  cross.  Hence  by  the  cross  stood 
John  and  Mary,  whose  love  for  Jesus  was  never  surpassed,  side  by 
side  with  the  leaders  of  Jerusalem,  who  dare  mock  and  defy  Him 
even  in  His  dying  moments,  while  they  almost  suffocate  with  their 
own  rage. 

If  Jesus  had  not  come  and  openly  testified  of  the  Father,  Jeru- 
salem's grave  gentlemen  would  never  have  been  guilty  of  such 
base  and  dishonorable  passions.  In  fact,  His  public  appearance  in 
Jerusalem  and  in  Judea  was  the  spark  which  ignited  these  passions. 
Without  Him  the  rabbis  would  never  have  committed  such  heinous 
sin ;  if  Jesus  had  not  come  from  heaven,  the  earth  would  never  have 
looked  upon  a  hatred  so  base,  bitter,  and  violent. 

Why,  then,  did  He  not  rather  stay  away?  Why  did  He  come  on 
the  earth?  For  He  knew  what  hatred  His  coming  would  arouse. 
He  knew  that— indirectly— He  would  cause  Iscariot  to  become  a 
Judas,  a  child  of  the  devil.  He  knew  that  He  would  become  a  fall 
and  a  rising  again  of  many;  a  stone  of  stumbling;  a  sign  that 
should  be  spoken  against.  He  knew  that  by  contact  with  Him  thou- 
sands would  become  transgressors,  and  some  even  would  commit 
the  sin  against  the  Holy  Ghost.  He  knew  all  this,  for  He  suffered 
all  by  the  determinate  counsel  and  foreknowledge  of  God.  And 
yet  He  came.  He  spoke.  He  executed  His  awful  task  upon  the 
earth,  to  be  a  Savior  to  thousands  of  souls,  but  also  a  rock  of 
offense  to  thousands  of  others. 

And  why  was  He  not  prevented  from  coming,  that  all  this  terri- 
ble evil  might  be  avoided?  For  the  sake  of  Love,  O  children  of  the 
Kingdom ! 

For  Love  \^  greatest ;  Love  is  the  highest  right;  and  Love,  full, 
rich,  and  divine,  could  not  be  shed  abroad  in  the  hearts  of  men  but 
at  this  price.  Love  less  great  would  have  stirred  up  hatred  less 
violent.  If  this  Love  had  not  come  at  all.  hatred  would  have  been 
^^'holly  quenched.  This  Love  alone  aroused  that  hatred.  In- 
rfamed  by  the  perfection  of  this  Love,  it  broke  forth  into  such  de- 


6i6  LOVE 

moniac  maliciousness.  No  sooner  does  Love  shovir  its  shining 
countenance  than  hatred  belches  forth  its  lurid  flames.  Without 
this  fearful  outbreak  of  unholiness,  holiness  can  not  exist  in  this 
sinful  world. 

This  brings  us  back  to  the  Holy  Spirit.  The  character  and 
power  of  any  form  of  love  are  determined  by  the  holy  or  unholy  na- 
ture of  the  spirit  which  dwells  in  it.  Of  course,  earthly  love  can 
not  realize  its  highest  power  unless  the  Holy  Spirit  dwell  in  it  and 
kindle  its  holy  spark  in  the  human  heart.  And  since  He  animates 
all  created  life,  He  animates  also  the  life  of  love ;  and  then  it  be- 
gins to  live,  receives  a  soul,  is  truly  animated,  and  the  promise  of 
the  Father  is  fulfilled  in  the  Church  and  in  our  hearts,  and  love  is 
shed  abroad  by  the  Holy  Ghost. 

So  the  full  and  penetrating  operation  of  love  came  only  on  Pen- 
tecost. Then  the  walls  that  separated  Israel  were  broken  down, 
and  the  river  of  its  life  disclosed  its  bed  broad  and  deep  for  every 
people  and  nation.  There  were  tongues  as  of  fire,  and  there  was  a 
speaking  with  the  tongues  of  all  nations.  They  had  all  things  in 
common.  They  were  embraced  in  the  union  of  one  purpose.  The 
melody  of  the  psalm  of  praise  pervaded  every  circle  which  called 
upon  the  name  of  the  Lord. 

But,  alas !  with  the  light  of  love  came  also  the  fearful  shadow  of 
hatred,  which  works  obstinacy,  ends  in  hardening,  and  adds  unto 
itself  the  death  by  the  sin  against  the  Holy  Ghost. 

And  this  is  a  fearful  thing.  Yet  if  you  could  prevail  upon  the 
Father  of  Lights  to  quench  the  pure  light  of  love,  would  you  say : 
"  Lord,  quench  it "  ?  Would  you  dare  pray  that  the  shedding  abroad 
of  that  love  should  cease  from  the  earth  ? 

And  thus,  amid  the  differences,  wranglings,  and  discords,  amid 
the  tumult  of  hatred  and  the  din  of  profanity  and  blasphemy,  the 
work  of  redemption  goes  on,  and  the  operation  of  the  Holy  Spirit 
continues  to  fulfil  the  counsel  of  God.  Thus  the  King  reigns  roy- 
ally; souls  are  converted;  the  rebellious  are  comforted;  acts  of 
self-denial  and  noble  consecration  are  multiplied;  pity  shines  and 
mercy  scintillates;  and,  hid  from  the  eyes  of  men,  perfect  love 
cherishes  the  soul  that  was  chilled  by  its  own  guilt,  and  imparts  to 
the  earth  something  of  the  sweetness  and  blessedness  of  its  own 
holy  being. 


CHRIST   OR   SATAN  617 

And  all  this  will  continue  until  the  Church  militant  has  finished 
its  last  fight.  Then  shall  the  end  come,  the  token  of  the  Son  of 
Man  shall  be  seen  in  the  clouds,  and  then  only  the  consummation 
of  glory  shall  appear,  wherein  every  work  of  the  profane  spirit 
shall  be  destroyed  and  the  work  of  the  Holy  Spirit  shall  be  com- 
pleted— completed  in  the  manifestation  of  glory,  in  the  wiping 
away  of  many  tears,  in  the  removing  of  every  hindrance,  in  the 
beholding  of  what  eyes  have  never  seen  and  the  hearing  of  what 
ears  have  never  heard,  in  the  ecstasy  of  what  never  has  entered  the 
human  heart;  but,  more  than  all  this,  in  the  perfect  revelation 
of  love  in  its  holiest  and  purest  manifestation,  in  the  undisturbed 
communion  with  the  Lord  our  God. 


Ztiv^  Cbaptcr. 
PRAYER. 

XXXIX. 
The  Essence  of  Prayer. 

"  Praying  always  with  all  prayer  and 
supplication  in  the  Spirit,  and 
watching  thereunto  with  all  per- 
severance and  supplication  for  all 
saints." — Ephes.  vi.  i8. 

In  the  last  place  we  consider  the  work  of  the  Holy  Spirit  in 
frayer. 

It  appears  from  Scripture,  more  than  has  been  emphasized,  that 
in  the  holy  act  of  prayer  there  is  a  manifestation  of  the  Holy  Spirit 
working  both  in  us  and  with  us.  And  yet  this  appears  clearly  from 
the  apostolic  word:  "Likewise  the  Spirit  helpeth  also  our  infirmi- 
ties :  for  we  know  not  what  we  should  pray  for  as  we  ought ;  but 
the  Spirit  Himself  maketh  intercession  for  us  with  groanings  which 
can  not  be  uttered.  And  He  that  knoweth  the  heart,  knoweth  what 
is  the  mind  of  the  Spirit,  because  He  maketh  intercession  for  the 
saints  According  to  the  will  of  God"  (Rom.  viii.  26,  27).  Christ 
expresses  this  with  equal  clearness  when  He  teaches  the  woman 
of  Samaria  that  "  God  is  a  Spirit,  and  the  true  worshipers  wor- 
ship the  Father  in  spirit  and  in  truth " ;  for,  so  He  adds,  "  the 
Father  seeketh  such  to  worship  Him."  In  almost  similar  sense 
St.  Paul  writes  to  the  Ephesians:  "  Praying  always  with  all  prayer 
and  supplication  in  the  Spirit,  and  watching  thereunto  with  all  per- 
severance and  supplication  for  all  saints." 

They  already  possessed  the  ancient  promise  to  Zacharias:  "  And 
I  will  pour  upon  the  house  of  David,  and  upon  the  inhabitants  of 


THE   ESSENCE   OF    PRAYER  619 

Jerusalem,  the  Spirit  of  grace  and  of  supplication"  (Zach.  xii.  10). 
And  this  promise  was  fulfilled  when  the  apostle  could  testify  con- 
cerning Christ :  "  For  through  Him  we  both  have  access  by  one 
Spirit  unto  the  Father"  (Ephes.  ii.  18).  In  the  "Abba,  Father"  of 
our  prayers  the  Holy  Spirit  beareth  witness  with  our  spirits  that 
we  are  the  children  of  God  (Rom.  viii.  15).  And  in  her  longing 
for  the  coming  of  the  Bridegroom,  not  only  the  Bride,  but  the  Spirit 
and  the  Bride  pray:  "Come,  Lord  Jesus,  come  quickly."  Upon 
closer  examination,  it  appears  that  prayer  can  not  be  separated 
from  the  spiritual  rule  that  we  must  pray :  "  Not  as  tho  we  had  re- 
ceived the  spirit  of  the  world,  but  the  Spirit  of  God,  that  we  might 
know  the  things  that  are  freely  given  us  of  God";  a  prayer  which 
we  then  offer,  "  Not  with  the  words  which  man's  wisdom  teacheth, 
but  which  the  Holy  Ghost  teacheth,  comparing  spiritual  things  with 
spiritual"  (i  Cor.  ii.  12,  13). 

Hence  there  can  be  no  doubt  that  even  in  our  prayers  we  must 
acknowledge  and  honor  a  work  of  the  Holy  Spirit ;  and  the  special 
treatment  of  this  tender  subject  may  bear  fruit  in  the  exercise  of 
our  own  prayers.  We  do  not  propose,  however,  to  treat  here  the 
entire  subject  of  prayer,  which  belongs  to  the  explanation  of  the 
Heidelberg  Catechism  on  this  point;  but  we  wish  simply  to  em- 
phasize the  significance  of  the  Holy  Spirit's  work  for  the  prayers 
of  the  saint. 

In  the  first  place,  we  must  discover  the  silver  thread  that,  in  the 
nature  of  the  case,  connects  the  essence  of  our  prayer  with  the  work 
of  the  Holy  Spirit. 

For  all  prayer  is  not  equal.  There  is  a  great  difference  between 
the  high-priestly  prayer  of  the  Lord  Jesus  and  the  prayer  of  the 
Holy  Spirit  with  groans  that  can  not  be  uttered.  The  supplications 
of  the  saints  on  earth  differ  from  those  of  the  saints  in  heaven,  those 
who  rejoice  before  the  throne  and  those  who  cry  from  under  the  altar. 
Even  the  prayers  of  the  saints  of  earth  are  not  the  same  in  the  vari- 
ous spiritual  conditions  from  which  they  pray.  There  are  prayers 
of  the  Bride,  that  is,  from  all  the  saints  on  earth  as  a  whole;  and 
prayers  of  the  local  assemblies  of  believers,  supplications  from  the 
circles  of  brethren  when  two  or  three  are  gathered  in  the  name  of 
Jesus;  and  supplications  of  individual  beliroers  poured  out  in  the 
solitude  of  the  closet.  And  distinguished  in  the  root  from  these 
prayers  of  the  saints  are  the  prayers  of  the  still  unconverted,  whether 


620  PRAYER 

regenerate  or  not,  who  cry  unto  God  whom  they  do  not  know  and 
whom  they  oppose. 

The  question  is  whether  the  Holy  Spirit  is  active,  either  in  one 
or  in  all  these  prayers.  Does  He  affect  our  prayers  only  when,  in 
the  rare  moments  of  exalted  spiritual  life,  we  have  intimate  com- 
munion with  God?  Or  does  He  affect  only  the  prayers  of  the  saint, 
excluding  those  of  the  unconverted!  Or  does  He  affect  all  prayer 
and  supplication,  whether  from  saint  or  sinner? 

Before  we  answer  this  question,  it  is  necessary  accurately  to  de- 
fine prayer.  For  prayer  may  be  taken  in  a  limited  sense,  as  a  relig- 
ious act  requesting  something  of  God,  in  which  case  it  is  merely 
the  expression  of  a  desire  springing  from  a  conscious  want,  void,  or 
need  which  we  ask  God  to  supply,  an  application  to  the  divine 
power  and  providence,  in  poverty  to  be  enriched,  in  danger  to  be 
protected,  in  temptation  to  be  kept  standing.  Or  it  may  be  taken 
in  a.  wider  sense  and  include  thanksgiving.  In  the  Reformed  Church 
the  Service  of  Prayer  always  includes  the  Service  of  Thanksgiving. 
In  this  sense  the  Heidelberg  Catechism  treats  it,  calling  prayer  the 
chief  part  of  thankfulness  (q.  ii6).  In  fact,  we  can  scarcely  con- 
ceive of  prayer,  in  the  higher  sense,  ascending  to  the  Throne  of 
Grace  without  thanksgiving. 

Moreover,  prayer  also  includes //-^wi?  and  every  ouipouri?ig  of  the 
soul.  Prayer  without  praise  and  thanksgiving  is  no  prayer.  In  the 
supplication  of  ^Qxxi\.%,  prayer  and  adoration  go  together.  Oppressed 
with  the  multitude  of  thoughts,  the  soul  may  have  no  definite  sup- 
plication, or  thanksgiving,  or  hymn  of  praise,  yet  frequently  feels 
constrained  to  pour  out  those  thoughts  before  the  Lord.  When,  in 
Psalm  xc,  Moses  pours  out  his  prayer,  there  is:  (i)  a  supplication; 
"  Lord,  how  long!  and  let  it  repent  Thee  concerning  Thy  servants"; 
(2)  thanksgiving,  "  Lord,  Thou  hast  been  our  dwelling-place  in  all 
generations";  (3)  praise,  "Before  the  mountains  were  brought  forth, 
or  ever  Thou  hadst  formed  the  earth  and  the  world,  even  from  ever- 
lasting to  everlasting  Thou  art  God."  And  besides  these  there  is  (4) 
an  outpouring  of  the  thoughts  that  fill  his  soul,  "  We  are  consumed 
by  Thine  anger,  and  by  Thy  wrath  are  we  troubled";  and  stronger 
still,  "  The  days  of  our  years  are  threescore  years  and  ten,  and  if 
by  reason  of  strength  they  be  fourscore  years,  yet  is  their  strength 
labor  and  sorrow,  for  it  is  soon  cut  off  and  we  fly  away." 

And  so  we  find  in  the  high-priestly  prayer  of  Christ:  (i)  a  sup- 


THE   ESSENCE   OF    PRAYER  621 

plication,  "  And  now,  O  Father,  glorify  Thou  Me  with  Thine  own 
self,  with  the  glory  which  I  had  with  Thee  before  the  world  was"; 
or,  "  Holy  Father,  keep  through  Thine  own  name  those  whom  Thou 
hast  given  Me,  that  they  may  be  one  as  We  are  ";  (2)  thanksgiving, 
"  Thou  hast  given  Me  power  over  all  flesh,  that  I  should  g^ve  eter- 
nal life  to  as  many  as  Thou  hast  given  Me";  (3)  praise,  "  O  right- 
eous Father,  the  world  hath  not  known  Thee,  but  I  have  known 
Thee,  and  these  have  known  that  Thou  hast  sent  Me";  (4)  and  be- 
sides these  a  manifold  outpouring  of  the  soul,  which  is  neither 
prayer,  praise,  nor  thanksgiving,  "  All  Mine  are  Thine,  and  Thine 
are  Mine " ;  "I  have  glorified  Thee  on  the  earth ;  I  have  finished 
the  work  which  Thou  gavest  Me  to  do";  "  For  their  sakes  I  sanctify 
Myself,  that  they  also  might  be  sanctified  through  the  truth." 

We  did  not  assign  a  special  place  to  the  confession  of  guilt  and 
sin,  because  this  is  included  in  supplication,  to  which  it  leads  and 
of  which  it  is  the  moving  cause ;  while  the  confession  of  the  soul's 
lost  condition  and  natural  liability  to  condemnation  necessarily 
must  lead  to  the  pouring  out  of  the  soul. 

Therefore,  speaking  comprehensively,  we  understand  by  prayer: 
every  religious  act  by  which  we  take  upon  ourselves  directly  to  speak  to 
the  Eterfial  Being. 

The  only  difficulty  is  in  the  Hymn  of  Praise.  For  it  can  not  be 
denied  that  in  a  number  of  psalms  there  is  a  direct  speaking  to  God 
in  hymns  of  praise ;  and  thus  the  distinction  between  the  Prayer 
and  the  Hymn  of  Praise  might  be  lost  sight  of. 

There  are  four  steps  in  the  Hymn  of  Praise :  it  may  be  a  singing 
of  the  praise  of  God  before  one's  otvn  soul ;  or  before  the  ear  of  the 
brethren ;  or  before  the  world  and  the  demons  j  or  lastly,  before  the 
Lord  God  Himself. 

When  the  flame  of  holy  joy  bums  freely  in  the  heart  of  the  saint, 
altho  he  be  alone  or  in  chains  in  the  dungeon,  he  feels  con- 
strained, for  his  own  satisfaction  as  it  were,  with  a  loud  voice  to 
sing  a  psalm  to  the  praise  of  God.  Thus  it  was  that  David  sang : 
"  I  love  the  Lord  because  He  hath  heard  my  voice  and  my  supplica- 
tion." Different  is  the  Hymn  of  Praise  when,  with  and  for  the 
brethren,  the  saint  sings  in  their  company;  for  then  they  sing, 
"  Blessed  is  the  people  that  know  the  joyful  sound;  they  shall  walk 
in  the  light  of  Thy  countenance";  or  directly  addressing  the  people 
of  God :  "  O  ye  seed  of  Abraham,  His  servant,  ye  children  of  Jacob 


622  PRAYER 

His  chosen,  He  is  the  Lord  our  God,  His  judgments  are  in  all  the 
earth."  And  another  is  the  Hymn  of  Triumph,  which  the  Church 
sings  as  it  were  before  the  world  and  the  demons;  then  the  saints 
sing:  "Thou  art  the  glory  of  our  strength;  and  in  Thy  favor  our 
horn  shall  be  exalted ;  for  the  Lord  is  our  defense ;  the  Holy  One 
of  Israel  is  our  King." 

But  the  Hymn  of  Praise  rises  highest  when  it  addresses  the 
Eternal  One  directly ;  when  the  saint  thinks  not  of  himself,  nor  of 
his  brethren,  nor  of  the  demons,  but  of  the  Lord  God  alone.  This 
is  praise  in  its  most  solemn  aspect.  In  the  singing  of  the  opening 
sentences  of  Psalm  li.  or  Psalm  cxxx.  the  difference  is  immediately 
felt: 

"After  Thy  loving-kindness,  Lord,  have  mercy  upon  me, 
For  Thy  compassion  great  blot  out  all  my  iniquity  "  ; 
or: 

"  Lord,  from  the  depths  to  Thee  I  cried, 
My  voice,  Lord,  do  Thou  hear ; 
Unto  my  supplication's  voice 
Give  an  attentive  ear." 

Then  praying  and  singing  are  actually  become  one.  In  order  to 
pray  aloud,  the  Church  must  sing,  altho  more  for  the  sake  of  the 
supplication  than  of  the  singing. 


XL. 
Prayer  and  the  Consciousness. 

"  Call  upon  Me  in  the  day  of  trouble; 
I  will  deliver  thee,  and  thou  shalt 
glorify  Me." — Psalm  1.  15. 

The  form  of  prayer  does  not  affect  its  character.  It  may  be  a 
mere  groaning  in  thought,  or  a  sigh  in  which  the  oppressed  soul 
finds  relief;  it  may  consist  of  a  single  cry,  a  flow  of  words,  or  an 
elaborate  invocation  of  the  Eternal.  It  may  even  turn  into  speak- 
ing or  singing.  But  so  long  as  the  soul,  in  the  consciousness  that 
God  lives  and  hears  its  cry,  addresses  itself  directly  to  Him  as  tho 
it  stood  in  His  immediate  presence,  the  character  of  prayer  remains 
intact.  However,  discrimination  between  these  various  forms  of 
prayer  is  necessary  in  order  to  discover,  in  the  root  of  prayer  itself, 
the  work  of  the  Holy  Spirit. 

The  suppliant  is  you;  your  ego;  neither  your  body  nor  your 
soul,  \i^xtyo^xx  person.  It  is  true,  both  body  and  soul  are  engaged 
in  prayer,  but  yet  in  such  a  way  that  your  person,  your  ego,  your 
self,  pours  out  the  soul;  in  the  soul  becomes  conscious  of  your 
prayer,  and  through  the  body  gives  it  utterance. 

This  will  become  clear  when  we  consider  the  part  which  the 
body  takes  in  prayer;  for  no  one  will  deny  that  the  body  has  some- 
thing to  do  with  prayer.  Mutual  prayer  is  simply  impossible  with- 
out the  aid  of  the  body,  for  that  requires  a  voice  to  utter  prayer  in 
one,  and  hearing  ears  in  the  others.  Moreover,  prayer  without 
words  rarely  satisfies  the  soul.  Mere  mental  prayer  is  necessarily 
imperfect;  earnest,  fervent  prayer  constrains  us  to  express  it  in 
words.  There  may  be  a  depth  of  prayer  that  can  not  be  expressed, 
but  then  we  are  conscious  of  the  lack ;  and  the  fact  that  the  Holy 
Spirit  prays  for  us  with  groans  that  can  not  be  uttered  is  to  us 
source  of  very  great  comfort. 

When  the  soul  is  perfectly  composed,  mere  mental  meditation 
may  be  very  sweet  and  blessed ;  but  no  sooner  do  the  waters  of  the 


624  PRAYER 

soul  heave  with  broader  swell  than  we  feel  irresistibly  constrained 
to  titter  prayer  in  words ;  and  altho  in  the  solitude  of  the  closet,  yet 
the  silent  prayer  becomes  an  audible  and  sometimes  a  loud  invoca- 
tion of  the  mercies  of  our  God.  Even  Christ  in  Gethsemane  prayed, 
not  in  silent  meditation  nor  in  unuttered  groans,  but  with  strong 
words  which  still  seem  to  sound  in  our  ears. 

And  not  only  in  this,  but  in  other  ways,  the  body  largely  affects 
our  prayer. 

There  is,  in  the  ^ri/ place,  a  natural  desire  to  make  the  whole 
body  partake  of  it.  For  this  reason  we  kneel  when  we  humble  our- 
selves before  the  majesty  of  God.  We  close  the  eyes  not  to  be 
distracted  by  the  world.  We  lift  up  the  hands  as  invoking  His 
grace.  The  agonized  wrestler  in  prayer  prostrates  himself  on  the 
ground.  We  uncover  the  head  in  token  of  reverence.  In  the  as- 
sembly of  the  saints  the  men  stand  on  their  feet,  as  they  would  if 
the  King  of  Glory  should  come  in. 

In  the  second  place,  the  effect  of  the  body  upon  prayer  is  evident 
from  the  influence  which  bodily  conditions  frequently  exert  upon 
it.  Depressing  headache,  muscular  or  nervous  pains,  congestive 
disorders  causing  undue  excitement,  often  prevent  not  the  sigh, 
but  the  full  outpouring  of  prayer.  Every  one  knows  what  effect 
drowsiness  has  upon  the  exercise  of  warm  and  earnest  prayer. 
While,  on  the  other  hand,  a  vigorous  constitution,  clear  head,  and 
tranquil  mind  are  peculiarly  conducive  to  prayer.  For  this  reason 
the  Scripture  and  the  example  of  the  fathers  speak  of  fasting  as 
means  to  assist  the  saints  in  this  exercise. 

Lastly,  bodily  distress  prior  to  distress  of  the  soul  has  often 
opened  mute  lips  in  prayer  before  God.  Families  that  were  stran- 
gers to  prayer  have  learned  to  pray  in  times  of  serious  illness.  In 
threatening  dangers  of  fire  or  water,  lips  that  were  used  to  cursing 
have  frequently  cried  aloud  in  supplication.  Compelled  by  war, 
famine,  and  pestilence,  godless  cities  have  frequently  appointed 
days  of  prayer  with  the  same  zeal  wherewith  formerly  they  ap- 
pointed days  of  rejoicing. 

Hence  the  significance  of  the  body  in  this  respect  is  very  great — 
in  fact,  so  great  that  when  abnormal  conditions  cause  the  bond 
between  body  and  soul  to  become  inactive,  prayer  ceases  at  the 
same  time.  However,  mere  bodily  exercise  is  not  prayer,  but  lip- 
service.  Mere  imitation  of  the  form,  mere  sounds  of  prayer 
rolling  from  the  lips,  mere  words  addressed  to   the  Eternal  One 


PRAYER   AND   THE   CONSCIOUSNESS        625 

without  conscious  purpose  in  the  soul,  are  the  form  of  prayer,  but 
not  the  power  thereof. 

And  this  is  not  all.  To  trace  the  work  of  the  Holy  Spirit  in 
prayer  we  must  enter  more  deeply  into  this  matter.  According  to 
the  ordinary  representation,  which  is  partly  correct,  prayer  is  im- 
possible without  an  act  of  the  memory,  by  which  we  recall  our  sins 
and  the  mercies  of  God;  without  an  act  of  the  mind,  choosing  the 
words  to  express  our  adoration  of  the  divine  virtues;  without  an 
act  of  the  consciousness,  to  represent  our  needs  in  prayer;  without 
an  act  of  love,  enabling  us  to  enter  into  the  needs  of  our  country, 
church,  and  place  of  habitation,  of  our  relatives,  children,  and 
friends';  and  lastly,  without  meditating  upon  the  fundamentals  of 
prayer,  recalling  the  promises  of  God,  the  experiences  of  the  fa- 
thers, and  the  conditions  of  the  Kingdom. 

All  these  are  activities  of  the  brain,  which  is  the  seat  of  the 
thinking  mind;  as  soon  as  this  is  disturbed  by  abnormal  conditions, 
the  consciousness  is  obscured  and  the  thinking  ceases  or  becomes 
confused.  Without  the  brain,  therefore,  there  can  be  no  thinking; 
without  thinking  there  can  be  no  thoughts;  without  thoughts 
there  can  be  no  accumulation  of  thoughts  in  the  memory;  and 
without  meditation,  which  is  the  result  of  the  former  two.  there  can 
be  no  prayer  in  the  proper  sense  of  the  word.  From  which  it  is 
evident  that  prayer  depends  upon  the  exercise  of  bodily  functions 
much  more  largely  than  is  generally  supposed. 

And  yet.  let  us  be  on  our  guard  not  to  push  this  too  far.  and 
imagine  that  the  root  of  prayer  is  in  the  drain,  i.e..  in  a  member  of 
the  body ;  for  it  is  not.  Our  own  experience  in  prayer  teaches  us, 
agreeably  to  the  Scripture,  that  it  is  in  the  /learf.  As  from  the 
heart  are  the  issues  of  life,  so  are  also  the  issues  of  prayer.  Unless 
the  heart  compels  us  to  pray,  all  our  cries  are  in  vain.  Men  with 
magnificent  brains  but  cold  hearts  have  never  been  men  of  prayer; 
and.  on  the  contrary,  among  the  men  of  poor  mental  development, 
but  with  large,  warm  hearts,  are  found  a  number  of  souls  mighty 

in  prayer. 

And  even  this  is  not  all;  for  the  heart  itself  is  a  bodily  organ. 
In  proportion  as  the  blood  circulates  through  the  heart  with  strong 
or  feeble  pulsation,  in  that  proportion  is  the  soul's  vital  expression 
strong  and  overwhelming,  or  weak  and  weary ;  and,  dependent  upon 
this,  prayer  is  warm  and  animated,  or  cold  and  formal.  When  the 
40 


626  PRAYER 

heart  is  weak  and  suffering,  the  life  of  prayer  generally  loses  some- 
thing of  its  freshness  and  power. 

We  are  men,  and  not  spirits;  and,  unlike  angels,  we  can  not  exist 
without  the  body.  God  created  us  body  and  soul.  The  former  be- 
longs to  our  being  essentially  and  forever.  Hence  an  utterance  of 
our  life  like  prayer  must  necessarily  be  dependent  upon  soul  and 
body,  and  that  in  much  stronger  sense  than  we  usually  suppose. 

However,  the  fact  must  be  emphasized  that  prayer's  dependence 
upon  the  body  is  not  absolute.  Otherwise  there  could  be  no  prayer 
among  the  angels,  nor  in  the  Holy  Spirit.  Our  prayer  depends  upon 
the  consciousness  J  when  that  is  lost,  prayer  ceases.  And,  since  we 
are  men,  consisting  of  body  and  soul,  the  human  consciousness  is, 
in  the  ordinary  sense,  related  also  to  the  body.  But  that  this  de- 
pendence is  not  absolute  is  evident  from  the  fact  that  the  Eternal 
Being,  whose  divine  consciousness  is  but  dimly  reflected  in  that  of 
man,  has  no  body.  "  God  is  Spirit."  And  the  same  is  true  of  the 
world  of  spirits,  who,  altho  incorporeal,  yet  possess  a  consciousness; 
and  of  the  three  Persons  of  the  Trinity,  especially  of  the  Holy  Spirit. 

Hence  the  question  arises  whether  man  separated  by  death  from 
the  body  loses  consciousness.  To  this  we  reply  in  the  affirmative. 
Our  human  consciousness,  as  we  possess  it  in  our  present  earthly 
existence,  is  lost  in  death,  to  be  restored  to  us  in  the  resurrection, 
in  Q.  form  stronger,  purer,  and  holier.  St.  Paul  says:  "We," — that 
is,  our  human  consciousness, — "now  know  in  part,  but  then  we," — 
the  same  human  consciousness, — "  shall  know  face  to  face,  even  as 
we  are  known." 

But  from  this  it  does  not  follow  that  in  the  intermediate  state 
the  soul  must  be  denied  all  self-consciousness.  The  Scripture 
teaches  the  very  contrary.  Of  course,  for  this  knowledge  we  de- 
pend upon  the  Scripture  alone.  The  dead  can  not  tell  us  anything 
of  their  state  after  death.  No  one  but  God,  who  ordained  the  con- 
ditions of  life  in  the  intermediate  state,  can  reveal  to  us  what  those 
conditions  are.  And  He  has  revealed  to  us  that  immediately  after 
death  the  redeemed  are  with  Jesus.  St.  Paul  says :  "  I  have  a  de- 
sire to  depart  and  to  be  with  Christ."  And,  since  a  friend's  pres- 
ence does  not  afford  us  pleasure  except  we  are  conscious  of  it,  it 
follows  that  the  souls  of  the  saints,  in  the  intermediate  state,  must 
possess  some  sort  of  consciousness  different  from  that  which  we 
now  possess,  but  sufficient  to  realize  and  enjoy  the  presence  of 


PRAYER   AND   THE   CONSCIOUSNESS        627 

Christ  For  which  reasons  the  fathers  rejected  every  repiesenta- 
WoLof  death  as  a  sleep;  as  the  our  persons  £rom  the  momen  of 
death  to  that  of  the  resurrection  should  sleep  m  perfect  forget  ul- 
fess  o£  the  glorious  things  of  God;  altho  they  denied  not  the  tnter- 
mediate  state  in  which  the  soul  is  separated  from  the  body. 

Wherefore  it  seems  possible  for  the  soul  to  be  consc.ous  m  a 
higher    ense,  ^Mou,  ,lu  aii  of  „u  My.  independently  of  the  hear 
and  the  brains-a  consciousness  which  enables  us  to  reah.e    he 
glorious  things  of  God  and  the  presence  of  the  Lord  Jesus  Chnst. 

How  this  higher  consciousness  operates  .s  a  deep  mystery,  nor 
is  the  Mature  of' ts  operation  revealed.  And  since  we  can  h^e  no 
other  representations  than  those  formed  by  means  of  the  brain  it 
Ts  impossible  for  us  to  have  the  slightest  idea  of  th.s  h.gher  con- 
sciousness    Its  existence  is  revealed,  but  no  more. 

The  following  may  be  considered  as  settled,  and  this  rs  the  prin- 
cipal thing  in  our  present  inquiry.  In  that  temporary  consciousness 
to  thich  we  will  work  in  the  intermediate  state,  the  same  person 
will  become  self-conscious  who  now  is  conscious  by  "-ns  o  hear 
and  brain.     Even  after  death  it  shall  be  our  own  person  that  shall 
be  bearer  of  that  consciousness,  and  by  it  I  shall  be  -nscious  of  my- 
self    It  can  not  be  otherwise ;  or  else  consciousness  after  death  , 
impossible,  tor  the  simple  reason  that  consciousness  alone  can  no 
exist  without  a  person.     And  another  person  it  can  -'^-  J™" 
my  own  person  shall  be  bearer  of  that  consciousness;  and  thus  shall 
I  be  enabled  to  enjoy  the  presence  of  Jesus. 

From  this  we  draw  the  following  important  conclusion:  that  so 
far  as  the>»«  of  the  ordinary  consciousness  is  concerned,  it  is  de- 
pendent upon  the  body;  while  essentially  it  is  not  so  dependent. 
Essentially  it  continues  to  exist,  even  when  sleep  obscures  the 
Thought,  or  insanity  estranges  me  from  myself,  or  a  swoon  makes 
me  lose  consciousness;  essentially  it  continues  to  exist  even  when 
death  temporarily  separates  me  from  the  body.  ^'^  -^'f  f Z;'" 
lows  that  the  root  and  seat  of  the  consciousness  must  be  looked  for 
in  the  ,oul.  and  that  heart  and  brain  are  but  the  veh.cks,  conductcrs 
which  our  person  uses  to  manifest  that  consciousness  in  ideas  and 

''^AnTshicrprayer  is  a  speaking  to  the  Eternal,  /...,  a  conscious 
standing  before  Him.  it  follows  that  the  root  of  prayer  has  its  seat 
To.rlrs..  and  in  our  spiritual  being;  and,  altho  bound  also  to 
the  body,  so  far  as  the  gam  is  concerned  rests  in  our  personal  ego. 


628  PRAYER 

in  so  far  as  the  ego,  conscious  of  the  existence  of  the  divine  Per- 
sons and  of  the  bond  that  unites  it  to  them,  allows  that  bond  to 
operate. 

And  thus  we  come  to  this  final  conclusion :  that  the  possibility 
of  prayer  finds  its  deepest  ground  in  the  fact  of  our  being  created 
after  the  image  of  God.  Not  only  is  our  self-consciousness  a  result 
of  that  fact,  for  God  is  eternally  self-conscious,  but  from  it  also 
springs  that  other  mighty  fact  that  I,  as  a  man,  can  be  conscious  of 
the  existence  of  the  Eternal,  and  of  the  intimate  bond  which  unites 
me  to  Him.  The  consciousness  of  this  bond  and  relation  manifests 
itself  in  prayer  as  soon  as  we  address  ourselves  to  God.  Hence  the 
work  of  the  Holy  Spirit  in  prayer  must  be  looked  for  in  His  work 
of  the  creation  of  man.  And  since,  in  our  former  study  on  this 
point,  we  discovered  that  it  is  God  the  Holy  Spirit  who  in  man's 
creation  caused  this  consciousness  to  awake,  carrying  into  it  and 
maintaining  by  it  the  consciouness  of  the  existence  of  God  and  of 
the  bond  which  unites  man  to  Him,  it  is  evident  that  prayer,  as  a 
phenomenon  in  man's  spiritual  life,  finds  its  basis  directly  in  the 
work  of  the  Holy  Spirit  in  mans  creation. 


XLI. 
Prayer  in  the  Unconverted. 

"  When  Thou  saidst,  Seek  ye  My  face, 
my  heart  said  unto  Thee,  Thy 
face.  Lord,  will  I  seek." — Psalm 
xxvii.  8. 

The  faculty  of  prayer  is  not  an  acquisition  of  later  years,  but  is 
created  in  us,  inherent  in  the  root  of  our  being,  inseparable  from  our 
nature. 

And  yet  consistent  with  this  fact  is  the  fact  that  the  great  ma- 
jority of  men  do  not  pray.  It  is  possible  to  possess  a  faculty  dor- 
mant in  us  for  a  whole  lifetime.  The  Malay  possesses  the  faculty 
for  studying  modern  languages  as  well  as  we,  but  he  never  uses  it. 
In  sleep  we  retain  our  faculties  of  seeing  and  hearing,  but  then  they 
are  inactive.  Altho  possessed  of  great  power,  the  big  fellow  did 
not  lift  a  finger  against  the  little  scamp  who  tormented  him.  Hence 
a  faculty  may  remain  in  us  wholly  undeveloped  and  dormant  for  a 
lifetime,  or  partly  developed  but  suppressed.  And  the  same  is 
true  of  the  faculty  of  prayer.  Among  the  fourteen  hundred  mil- 
lions of  the  earth's  population,  there  are  scarcely  two  hundred 
million  who  do  not  appear  to  be  acquainted  with  prayer,  altho  their 
form  of  prayer  is  very  defective.  Of  the  non-praying  masses,  who 
almost  exclusively  occupy  Europe,  one  half  remember  the  time 
when,  in  some  way  or  other,  they  used  to  pray.  Many  of  those  who 
have  lost  even  that,  still  breathe  an  occasional  prayer.  And  the 
number  of  them  who  wish  that  they  could  pray  is  very  large;  and 
among  the  non-praying  people  they  represent  undoubtedly  the 
noblest. 

Hence  we  maintain  our  starting-point,  that  we  owe  the  faculty 
of  prayer  to  our  creation.  God  created  man  as  a  being  disposed  to 
prayer.  If  this  were  not  so,  the  faculty  of  prayer  could  not  be 
among  his  endowments.  We  are  created  for  prayer,  otherwise  we 
could  never  have  tasted  of  its  sweetness. 

To  the  question,  Why  in  our  creation  is  this  a  peculiar  work  of 


630  PRAYER 

the  Holy  Spirit?  we  answer :  Prayer  is  the  drawing  and  pressing  of 
the  impressed  image  toward  its  Original,  which  is  the  Triune  God. 
To  be  the  bearers  of  that  impressed  image  is  the  marvelous  honor 
bestowed  upon  men.  Altho  marred  by  sin — God  grant  by  regener- 
ation restored  in  you — yet  the  original  features  of  that  image  are 
still  the  original  features  of  our  human  being.  Without  that  image 
we  would  cease  to  be  men. 

And,  owing  its  origin  to  the  impress  of  that  original  Image,  our 
inward  being  draws  toward  It,  naturally,  urgently,  and  persistently. 
It  can  not  live  without  it,  and  the  fact  that,  on  the  other  hand,  the 
original  Image  of  the  Eternal  One  draws  the  impressed  image  in 
man  to  Himself,  is  the  ultimate  and  constraining  power  of  all 
prayer.  However,  to  be  exalted  to  the  dignity  of  prayer,  this 
drawing  to  God  must  not  be  like  the  involuntary  suction  of  water 
to  the  deep,  or  the  turning  of  the  opening  rose-bud  toward  the 
light.  For  the  water  knows  not  whither  it  is  going,  and  the  rose- 
bud is  unconscious  of  the  sunshine  which  governs  it.  That  almost 
irresistible  drawing  can  be  called  prayer  only  when  we  know  that  it 
is  prayer,  when  we  perceive  it,  and,  knowing  to  whom  it  draws  us, 
make  it  our  own  conscious,  cooperating  act. 

Hence  prayer  does  not  spring  from  the  will.  The  Triune  God 
is  He  who  rouses  the  soul  to  prayer,  who  draws  us,  and  not  we  our- 
selves. Wherefore  the  Psalmist  says:  "When  Thou  saidst.  Seek 
)'-e  My  face,  my  heart  said  unto  Thee,  Thy  face,  Lord,  will  I  seek." 
And  how  does  this  first  impulse  from  God  reach  us?  Not  externally 
as  the  wind,  but  internally  in  the  heart.  And  knowing  that  it  does 
not  proceed  from  me,  but  comes  to  me,  it  must  be  from  the  Holy 
Spirit  who  works  in  me.  Are  not  all  the  internal  impulses  that 
proceed  from  the  Eternal  One  the  proper  work  of  the  Holy  Spirit  ? 
We  can  have  no  fellowship  with  the  Son  but  through  the  Holy 
Spirit;  none  with  the  Father  but  through  the  Son  to  whom  the 
Holy  Spirit  has  introduced  us. 

However,  we  do  not  speak  now  of  the  state  of  regeneration.  In 
our  treatment  of  prayer  thus  far,  we  have  reference  to  man  in  his 
original  state,  and  independent  of  the  restoration ;  and  in  that  state 
we  say,  prayer  is  not  the  cry  of  an  independent  being  for  a  God  to 
him  unknown,  with  whom  he  hopes  thus  to  become  acquainted; 
but,  on  the  contrary,  that  all  prayer  presupposes,  on  man's  part,  an 
inward  sense  of  the  Eternal  Being  of  God,  and  of  the  fact  that,  be- 
ing created  after  His  image,  he  belongs  to  Him  and  consciously  draws 


PRAYER    IN   THE    UNCONVERTED  631 

to  his  original  Image.  Wherefore  we  may  call  it  a  spiritual  mag- 
netism, which  operates  unceasingly  upon  him,  and  originated  in  his 
creation.  However,  it  is  different  from  magnetism  in  a  twofold 
aspect:  (i)  in  that  man  is  conscious  of  it;  (2)  in  that  it  is  a  ffiutiial 
attraction. 

The  second  point  needs  special  emphasis.  In  magnetic  attraction 
the  magnet  is  active  and  the  iron  passive;  but  in  prayer  it  is  not  so. 
Prayer  rests  upon  the  foundation  of  mutual  attraction.  So  long  as 
it  proceeds  from  God's  side  alone,  there  is  no  prayer;  but  there  is, 
when  our  being  begins  to  draw  to  God,  when  we  feel  the  impulse  if 
possible  to  draw  God  to  us:  "  Come,  Lord,  how  long!  Lord,  delay 
not!  come  quickly!" 

This  is  the  power  of  love  which  finds  in  prayer  its  most  glorious 
manifestation.  Prayer  is  the  fairest  flower  that  grows  upon  the 
stem  of  holy  love.  Then  love  works  in  Qiodifor  man,  on  account  of 
the  image  in  which  He  created  him.  And  in  man  love  works /"^r 
God,  because  of  the  Image  after  which  he  was  created.  In  fact, 
every  distress  from  which  we  cry  to  be  delivered  is  to  the  soul  but 
the  conscious  need  of  the  power  and  faithfulness  of  God.  So  love 
labors  to  meet  love,  that  in  tranquil  whisperings  it  may  pray  not 
for  deliverance  from  trouble,  but  to  possess  Him  for  whose  love 
alone  the  heart  is  yearning. 

Upon  a  lower  level  prayer  certainly  assumes  a  lower  form,  which 
by  sin  has  become  so  low  and  selfish  that  prayer,  which  should  be 
love's  breath,  has  become  an  egoistic  cry.  But  we  discuss  prayer  as 
it  was  originally,  before  sin  had  affected  it.  And  as  the  true  heir  of 
heaven  yearns  for  his  heavenly  home  not  for  the  sake  of  crown 
and  palm  and  golden  harp,  but  for  his  God  alone ;  so  is  prayer, 
pure  and  undefiled,  a  longing,  not  for  God's  gifts,  but  for  God 
Himself.  As  the  Shulamite  calls  for  her  bridegroom,  so  does  the 
praying  soul,  from  the  consuming  desire  of  love,  pray  and  thirst 
for  the  possession  of  its  Maker  and  to  be  possessed  of  Him. 

Since  it  is  the  Third  Person  in  the  Godhead  who  makes  this 
communion  between  God  and  the  soul  possible,  working  and  main- 
taining it  in  the  soul,  it  is  evident  that  prayer  belongs  to  the  prop- 
er domain  of  the  Holy  Spirit;  only  when  thus  considered  can 
prayer  be  understood  in  its  deepest  significance. 

The  other  question  now  arises,  regarding  the  work  of  the  Holy 
Spirit  in  our  prayer,  after  that  we  became  sinners. 


632  PRAYER 

For  even  sinners  pray.  This  is  evident  from  the  heathen  world, 
which,  however  low  its  forms  of  prayer,  yet  offers  up  supplications 
and  petitions.  It  is  evident  from  the  ease  with  which  a  little  child, 
taught  by  its  mother,  learns  to  pray;  and  from  the  many  who, 
estranged  from  prayer,  in  sudden  calamities  bend  the  knees,  and, 
altho  they  can  not  pray,  still  assume  the  attitude  of  prayer,  willing 
to  give  half  their  kingdom  if  they  only  could  pray.  And  lastly,  it 
is  evident  from  the  thousands  and  tens  of  thousands  who,  con- 
vinced of  the  impossibility  of  praying  for  themselves,  cry  to  others : 
"  Pray  for  us ! " 

Prayer  in  higher,  holier  sense  the  sinner  can  not  offer.  Every- 
thing in  him  is  sinful,  even  his  prayer.  In  his  sin  he  has  reversed 
the  established  order  of  things:  not  he  existing  for  God,  but  God 
existing  for  him.  Confirmed  in  his  selfishness,  the  God  of  heaven 
and  earth  is  to  him  little  more  than  a  Physician  in  every  sickness 
and  a  Provider  in  every  need;  a  wonderful  Being,  ever  ready  at  his 
first  cry  to  supply  out  of  His  fulness  his  every  necessity. 

This  is  the  egoism  that  inseparably  belongs  to  every  sinner's 
prayer.  The  prayer  of  the  redeemed  saint  is:  "Our  Father,  who 
art  in  heaven,  hallowed  be  Thy  name.  Thy  Kingdom  come.  Thy 
will  be  done  on  earth  as  it  is  in  heaven.  For  Thine  is  the  Kingdom, 
and  the  Power,  and  the  Glory  forever.  Amen."  The  converted  sinner 
offers  first  the  petitions  for  Bis  name,  Uis  Kingdom,  and  His  will ; 
then  he  adds  the  petitions  for  bread,  for  forgiveness,  for  protec- 
tion from  sin.  But  the  unconverted  sin?ier  has  no  conception  of  a 
prayer  for  God's  name,  Kingdom,  and  will.  He  prays  for  bread 
only;  for  forgiveness  also,  but  only  from  the  motive  that  bread  and 
luxury  and  deliverance  from  trouble  may  not  be  denied  him. 

Wherefore  it  is  impossible  to  have  too  low  an  estimate  of  the 
sinner's  prayer.  The  depth  of  our  fall  is  in  nothing  so  apparent  as 
in  the  sin  of  this  degenerate,  bastardized  prayer.  All  such  prayer 
may  be  designated  as  a  defying  and  vexing  of  God  and  His  eternal 
love.  In  this  sense  the  prayer  of  the  sinner  contains  nothing  of  the 
work  of  the  Holy  Spirit.  All  this  prayer  springs  from  the  egoism 
of  the  sinful  heart,  and  has  not  the  least  value,  rather  the  opposite. 

But— and  this  is  the  principal  thing— altho  our  hands  have  un- 
strung the  harp  so  that  it  produces  nothing  but  discord,  yet  the 
artist  is  just  as  great,  for  he  had  so  planned  and  constructed  and 
tuned  the  instrument  that  it  could  produce  the  purest  tones  and 
fairest  music.     And  such  is  man's  heart.     Sin  did  not  remove  the 


PRAYER    IN    THE    UNCONVERTED  633 

strings,  for  then  it  could  not  produce  even  discord;  but  sin  has  put 
it  out  of  tune,  and  now  its  tones  are  harsh  and  grating  upon  the  ear. 
And  yet  these  very  strings  testify  of  the  work  of  the  original  Master, 
for  by  His  original  work  they  are  still  sound-producing.  So  long  as 
the  strings  are  only  loose  upon  the  harp,  it  may  be  repaired ;  but 
when  they  are  altogether  broken  and  gone,  it  is  no  longer  a  harp, 
but  a  useless  piece  of  wood.  Every  prayer  of  the  sinner  is  a  dis- 
cord which  jars  against  the  beautiful  harmony  of  the  eternal  love 
of  God ;  nevertheless  the  very  discords  of  that  prayer  are  the  evi- 
dences that  the  Holy  Spirit  had  originally  placed  the  strings  upon 
the  heart. 

If  the  Holy  Spirit  had  never  performed  such  a  work  upon  the 
heart,  there  would  be  no  harp  at  all ;  the  heart  could  not  produce 
even  the  discord.  The  fact  that  it  does,  shows  that  there  are  strings 
which  originally  were  perfectly  attuned.  Hence  prayer  in  the  sin- 
ner is  unthinkable  without  the  work  of  the  Holy  Spirit. 

But  this  is  not  all.  Not  only  the  possibility  of  such  discordant 
prayer,  but  the  discord  itself  is  but  the  reversed  working  of  a 
power  created,  supported,  and  actuated  by  the  Holy  Spirit's  work. 
To  put  this  in  the  strongest  light,  we  add :  that  all  cursing  and 
blasphemy  is  the  reversed  action  of  a  power  of  the  Holy  Spirit. 
Blasphemers  and  men  given  to  profanity  indulge  in  their  terrible 
sin,  because  they  realize  that  the  Almighty  God  lives,  and  that  His 
power  is  something  terrible.  Cursing  and  blasphemy  are  hellish 
tones  and  vibrations  from  the  same  harp  of  prayer,  which  the  Holy 
Spirit  created  in  the  soul.  An  animal  can  7iot  curse ;  and  if  the 
Holy  Spirit  had  not  strung  the  soul  with  these  strings  of  prayer, 
no  curse  could  ever  have  passed  the  lips  of  man.  Cursing  is  a  ma- 
lignant boil,  but  it  springs  directly  from  the  artery  of  prayer.  Con- 
sider it  well,  even  Satan  has  not  a  single  power  directly  from 
himself;  and  all  the  power  with  which,  in  his  blasphemous  and  in- 
sane rage,  he  wars  against  God  is  a  power  from  God  reversed  by 
Satan. 

Even  the  sinner's  prayer  is  a  manifestation  of  pcnver.  There 
must  be  an  impulse  and  incitement,  however  weak,  which  causes 
him  to  pray.  And  this  requires  strength  of  consciousness  and  an 
expression  of  the  will.  And  these  powers  he  does  not  create  him- 
self,  but  the  Holy  Ghost;  he  only  abuses  or  corrupts  them. 

When  an  unpractised  hand  touches  the  harp-strings  and  produces 
discords,  it  does  not  create  those  discords;  but  they  are  formed  from 


634  PRAYER 

the  sounds  and  tones  which  are  in  the  vibrating  strings  of  the  harp. 
The  same  is  true  of  the  sinner's  prayer.  He  could  not  offer  his  sin- 
ful prayer  if  there  were  no  tone  of  prayer  in  the  strings  of  his 
heart.  That  he  can  pray  at  all,  he  owes  to  the  fact  that  the  Holy 
Spirit  created  the  tones  of  prayer  in  his  heart;  which  he  brings 
forth,  alas!  only  to  make  them  discords. 

However,  in  this  respect,  ordinary  grace  in  its  sometimes  pre- 
paratory character  ought  not  to  be  overlooked.  The  sinner  is  on 
earth,  and  not  yet  in  hell.  Between  the  two  is,  first,  this  differ- 
ence, that  on  the  former  there  is  preventive  grace,  which  bridles 
the  power  of  sin  and  prevents  it  from  breaking  out  in  all  its  vio- 
lence. Sin  on  earth  is  like  a  chained  bulldog  or  a  muzzled  hyena. 
Secondly,  God  loves  this  world.  He  has  thoughts  of  peace  con- 
cerning it.  He  does  not  forsake  the  work  of  His  creation,  and  by 
His  sovereign  grace  He  provides  a  redemption  which  saves  the  or- 
ganism of  the  world  and  of  the  race ;  so  that  the  tree  is  saved,  while 
the  useless  shoots  and  dry  leaves  are  gathered  to  be  cast  into  hell. 
Having  this  is  in  view,  ordinary  or  general  grace  aims  at  the  preser- 
vation of  the  powers  of  the  original  creation,  to  develop  them  to 
some  extent,  and  thus  to  prepare  the  field  in  which  by  and  by  the 
seed  of  eternal  life  will  be  planted.  And,  altho  this  ordinary  grace 
is  not  effectual  to  salvation,  any  more  than  the  mere  plowing  of 
the  field  can  ever  germinate  the  wheat  which  is  not  sown  in  the 
furrows,  yet  this  plowing  of  ordinary  grace  has  real  significance 
for  the  future  growth  of  the  seed  of  eternal  life. 

And  in  this  general  grace,  the  grace  of  prayer  occupies  an  im- 
portant place.  If  there  were  no  general  grace,  muzzling  sin  and 
plowing  the  field,  the  sinner  could  no  more  pray  than  Satan,  but 
like  him  would  curse  God  without  ceasing.  But  now  he  still  prays, 
he  has  prayed  for  ages,  and  by  his  prayer,  even  tho  it  is  the  fruit 
of  tradition,  he  has  sometimes  risen  above  the  sinful  egoism  of  his 
heart.  But  this  prayer  never  sprang  from  the  root  of  sin,  nor  from 
something  good  which  he  had  kept  along  with  sin  in  the  holy  closet 
of  his  heart ;  it  was  but  the  gracious  work  of  the  Holy  Spirit. 

Evidence  of  the  deep  inworking  of  this  grace  is  found  in  the 
exalted  devotions  that  still  sound  in  our  ears  from  the  most  ancient 
traditional  prayers  of  Indian,  Egyptian,  and  Greek  antiquity;  and 
in  the  ministry  of  prayer  from  the  pulpit  by  unconverted  ministers 
whose  supplications  often  move  and  touch  the  soul. 


PRAYER  IN  THE  UNCONVERTED     635 

However,  the  glory  of  this  does  not  belong  to  the  sinner;  nor 
does  it  in  the  least  affect  the  absolute  character  of  man's  depravity 
by  sin.  But  it  shows  that  the  Lord  God  did  not  leave  the  sinner  to 
his  sin;  but  even  in  the  absence  of  regeneration,  and  to  the  glory  of 
His  name,  caused  general  grace  to  intervene,  which  frequently  illu- 
minated the  life  of  prayer. 

And  when  such  a  people,  still  acquainted  with  these  holy  tradi- 
tions and  gracious  operations,  received  the  knowledge  of  Christ 
crucified  and  of  His  power  to  save,  it  became  evident  afterward 
that  the  prayers  which,  independently  of  himself,  were  laid  upon  ■ 
the  sinner's  lips  had  prepared  a  way  and  opened  a  gate  through 
which  the  King  of  Glory  could  come  into  such  a  people.  And  ta- 
king it  in  individual  cases,  it  appears  from  the  experience  of  many 
that,  long  before  the  soul  became  conscious  of  saving  grace,  the 
grace  of  God  not  only  kept  him  from  violent  outbreaks  of  sin,  but, 
through  the  tradition  of  prayer,  wrought  a  work  in  him  the  blessed 
effects  of  which  were  understood  only  long  afterward. 

And  all  these  operations  oi  general  grace  are,  as  soon  as  they 
touch  the  life  of  prayer,  the  work  of  the  Holy  Spirit.  He  who  in 
creation  strung  the  harp  of  prayer  in  the  soul  is  the  same  who 
causes  not  only  the  tone  of  prayer  to  vibrate  even  in  our  egoistic 
petitions,  but  who,  in  a  more  glorious  way,  sometimes  even  as  tho 
the  soul  were  an  ^olian  harp,  touches  the  strings  with  the  breath 
of  His  mouth,  and  draws  from  it  the  beautiful  and  entrancing  tones 
of  prayers  and  supplications. 


XLII. 
The  Prayer  of  the  Regenerated. 

"  Likewise  the  Spirit  helpeth  our  in. 
firmities;  for  we  know  not  what 
we  should  pray  for  as  we  ought : 
but  the  Spirit  itself  maketh  in- 
tercession for  us  with  groan- 
ings  which  can  not  be  uttered."— 
Rom.  viii.  26. 

Next  in  order  comes  the  question:  What  is  the  work  of  the 
Holy  Spirit  in  the  prayer  of  the  regenerated? 

Here  we  distinguish  (i)  the  prayer  of  the  saint,  and  (2)  that  of 
the  Holy  Spirit  for  him. 

The  last  we  consider  first,  because,  through  the  Apostle  Paul, 
we  receive  clearest  revelation  concerning  it :  "  Likewise  the  Spirit 
helpeth  our  infirmities;  for  we  know  not  what  we  should  pray  for 
as  we  ought ;  but  the  Spirit  itself  maketh  intercession  for  us  with 
groanings  that  can  not  be  uttered"  (Rom.  viii.  26).  For  the  better 
understanding  of  this  passage,  observe  : 

In  the^W/  place,  that  the  apostle  refers  to  the  prayer  or  groan 
arising  not  from  the  regenerated  person  himself,  but  from  another 
in  his  behalf.  It  is  not  a  prayer,  but  an  intercession  from  the 
Holy  Spirit  for  him.* 

*  Expositors  of  an  earlier  period  judged  with  Calvin  that  the  interces- 
sion of  the  Holy  Spirit  signified  a  working  upon  us,  by  virtue  of  which  we 
ourselves  groaned  in  ourselves.  But  this  view  is  incorrect ;  for  verse  23 
states  what  Calvin  supposed  to  be  stated  in  verse  26.  In  the  former,  the 
apostle  speaks  of  groanings  that  proceed  from  us.  wrought  in  us  by  the 
Holy  Spirit.  Verse  26  can  not  be  a  mere  repetition;  for  the  word  "like- 
wise "  introduces  a  new  thing,  altho  it  is  similar  to  the  preceding.  More- 
over, the  word  here  applied  to  the  Holy  Spirit  is  the  same  as  the  one  used 
in  verse  34,  "■  entunchdnein"  which  signifies  the  intercession  of  the  Holy 
Spirit.     And  again,  the  word  "sunantilambanesthai,"  which  is  translated 


THE  PRAYER  OF  THE  REGENERATED   637 

In  the  second  place,  it  is  necessary  to  distinguish  between  the 
intercession  of  the  Holy  Spirit  and  of  Jesus  Christ  the  Righteous. 

Christ  intercedes  for  us  in  heaven,  and  the  Holy  Spirit  on  earth. 
Christ  our  Holy  Head,  being  absent  from  us,  intercedes  outside  of 
us ;  the  Holy  Spirit  our  Comforter  intercedes  in  our  own  heart  which 
He  has  chosen  as  His  temple. 

There  is  a  difference,  not  only  of  place,  but  also  in  the  nature  of  this 
twofold  intercession.  The  glorified  Christ  intercedes  in  heaven  for 
His  elect  and  redeemed,  to  obtain  for  them  the  fruit  of  His  sacrifice  : 
"  If  any  man  sin,  we  have  an  Advocate  with  the  Father,  Jesus  Christ 
the  Righteous"  (i  John  ii.  i).  But  the  object  of  the  Holy  Spirit's 
petitions  is  the  laying  bare  of  all  the  deep  and  hidden  needs  of  the 
saints  before  the  eye  of  the  Triune  God. 

In  Christ  there  is  a  union  of  God  and  man,  since,  being  in  the 
form  of  God,  He  took  upon  Himself  the  human  nature.  Hence  His 
prayer  is  that  of  the  Son  of  God,  but  in  union  with  the  nature  of 
man.  He  prays  as  the  Head  of  the  new  race,  as  King  of  His  peo- 
ple, as  the  one  that  seals  the  covenant  of  the  New  Testament  in 
His  blood.  In  like  manner,  there  is  to  some  extent  a  union  be- 
tween God  and  man,  when  the  Holy  Spirit  prays  for  the  saints. 
For,  by  His  indwelling  in  the  hearts  of  the  saints.  He  has  estab- 
lished a  lasting  and  most  intimate  union,  and  by  virtue  of  that 
union  putting  Himself  in  their  place.  He  prays  for  them  and  in 
their  stead. 

In  each  instance  there  is  intercession,  but  in  each  in  a  differ- 
ent manner.  In  his  priestly  capacity,  as  head  of  the  family,  the 
father  prays  for  his  family  not  because  the  members  could  not 
offer  similar  prayer,  but  on  account  of  his  calling  as  their  head  to 
represent  them  before  God.     All  pray,  but  he  as  their  head  prays 


"to  help,"  requires  that  the  person  rendering  assistance  be  not  only  in  us, 
but  also  works  with  us  and  for  us.  Verse  27  leads  to  the  same  conclu- 
sion, first,  because  it  speaks  of  the  mind  of  the  Spirit,  and  not  of  man's 
mind  ;  secondly,  because  the  intercession  is  said  to  be  according  to  God, 
"kata  Theon,"  not  "eis  Theon,"  i.e..  according  to  the  will  of  God,  and  this 
can  be  said  of  the  Holy  Spirit  alone. 

We  do  not,  however,  deny  that,  m  one  respect,  this  groaning  makes 
instrumental  use  of  the  vocal  organs,  as  in  the  matter  of  the  "glossais 
lalein,"  the  speaking  with  tongues.  We  maintain  only  that  the  unutter- 
able groaning  does  not  imply  the  use  of  those  organs ,  rather  the  opposite. 


638  PRAYER 

for  them  all.  And  thus,  as  the  Head  of  the  Body,  it  is  the  calling 
of  Christ  to  pray  for  the  Body.  Tho  their  prayer  were  perfect,  His 
prayer  would  still  be  needed.  All  the  members  must  pray,  but  He 
must  pray  for  them  all.  Entirely  different,  however,  is  the  prayer 
of  the  mother  for  her  dying  child.  Being  only  five  or  six  years  old, 
the  little  one  can  scarcely  pray  for  himself.  He  has  not  the  slight- 
est conception  of  what  is  happening  to  him,  nor  of  his  own  needs. 
Then  his  mother  kneels  by  his  side  and  prays  for  him,  "  helping  his 
infirmities,  for  he  knoweth  not  what  to  pray  for  as  he  ought."  If  he 
were  twenty  years  older,  there  would  be  no  need  of  it;  he  himself 
could  understand  his  condition  and  pray  for  himself.  And  this 
applies  to  the  intercession  of  the  Holy  Ghost.  If  the  saint  were 
what  he  ought  to  be,  and  could  pray  as  he  ought,  there  would  be 
no  need  of  this  intercession.  But,  being  imperfect  and  beset  by 
weaknesses,  not  knowing  what  to  pray  for,  the  Holy  Spirit  helpeth 
his  infirmities,  and  prays  for  him. 

Christ  intercedes  for  the  body  because  He  is  the  Head ;  even  tho 
the  prayers  of  the  members  were  perfect  and  mature.  He  would 
still  intercede  with  the  Father  in  their  behalf.  But  the  Holy  Spirit 
prays  because  the  prayers  of  the  saints  are  itnperfect,  immature,  and 
insufficient.  His  prayer  is  comJ>lementary  and  necessary,  inasmuch 
as  the  saint  can  not  yet  pray  as  he  ought ;  hence  decreasitig  as  the 
saint  learns  to  pray  more  and  more  correctly. 

The  intercession  of  the  Holy  Spirit  is  according  to  the  saint's 
condition,  which  is  described  in  the  seventh  chapter  of  Romans. 
Surely,  the  Lord  God  might  have  been  pleased  to  regenerate  the 
sinner  in  such  a  way  as  to  deliver  him  at  once  and  completely  from 
sin,  and  from  all  the  after-effects  of  his  old  nature ;  but  He  has  or- 
dained it  otherwise.  Regeneration  does  not  effect  such  a  sudden 
change.  It  does  indeed  change  his  state  before  God  at  once  and 
completely,  but  it  does  not  place  him  at  once  in  a  condition  of  per- 
fect holiness.  On  the  contrary,  after  regeneration  it  remains,  on 
the  one  hand,  "  I  delight  in  the  law  of  God  after  the  inward  man  "; 
but  also,  on  the  other,  "  I  see  another  law  in  my  members,  warring 
against  the  law  of  my  mind."  Hence  the  cry:  "O  wretched  man 
that  I  am,  who  shall  deliver  me  from  the  body  of  this  death?  ' 

And  the  intercession  of  the  Holy  Spirit  fully  meets  this  condi- 
tion. If  in  regeneration  we  became  perfectly  holy,  without  any 
infirmity,  with  perfect  knowledge  what  we  should  pray  for.  there 
would  be  no  need  of  this  intercession.     But,  this  not  being  so,  the 


THE  PRAYER  OF  THE  REGENERATED   639 

Holy  Spirit  comes  to  help  our  infirmities,  in  us  to  -pv a.y  /or  us,  as 
tho  //  were  our  own  prayer. 

This  last  point  must  be  emphasized.  The  Holy  Spirit  prays  for  men 
called  saints  ;  and  it  must  be  maintained  that  every  regenerated  per- 
son is  a  saint,  his  infirmities  notwithstanding:  a  saint,  not  for  what 
he  is  in  himself,  but  because  of  the  word  of  Christ :  "  Thou  art  Mine." 
And  these  two  conditions,  (i)  of  being  a  saint,  and  (2)  still  unholy 
in  himself,  can  not  remain  unreconciled.  Wherefore  the  Sacred 
Scripture  teaches  that,  altho  we  lie  in  the  midst  of  death,  yet  in 
Christ  we  are  holy ;  hence  we  have  a  holiness,  yet  not  //;  us,  but 
outside  of  us  in  Christ  Jesus.  "  Our  Life  is  hid  with  Christ  in  God." 
And  the  same  applies  to  our  prayers.  We  are  saints  not  only  in 
name,  but  in  deed.  And  therefore  the  prayers  that  ascend  to  the 
mercy-seat  from  our  hearts  must  be  holy  prayers.  It  is  the  sweet  in- 
cense of  the  prayers  of  the  saints.  But  being  unable  of  ourselves 
to  kindle  the  incense,  the  Holy  Spirit  helps  our  infirmities,  and 
from  our  hearts  prays  to  God  in  our  behalf.  We  are  not  conscious 
of  it;  He  prays  for  and  in  us  with  groans  that  can  not  be  uttered; 
which  does  not  mean  that  He  makes  zis  utter  groans  for  which  we 
can  not  account,  but  that  He  groans  in  us  with  affections  and  emo- 
tions which  may  comfort  us,  but  which  have  nothing  in  common 
with  the  sighing  of  our  respiratory  organs.  This  is  clear  from 
verse  27,  where  St.  Paul  declares,  that  He  that  searcheth  the  hearts, 
knoweth  what  is  the  mind  of  the  Spirit. 

Apart  from  the  intercession  of  the  Holy  Spirit  in  our  behalf  there 
is  also  a  work  of  His  Person  in  our  07un  prayers. 

The  proportion  between  these  two  operations  is  different  accord- 
ing to  our  different  conditions.  The  child,  regenerated  in  the  cradle 
and  deceased  before  conversion  was  possible,  could  not  pray  for  him- 
self;  the  Holy  Spirit  prayed  therefore  for  and  in  him  with  groans 
that  can  not  be  uttered.  But  if  the  child  had  lived  and  was  con- 
verted at  a  later  age,  it  would  first  have  been  the  prayer  of  the 
Holy  Spirit  alone;  and  after  his  conversion  his  own  prayers  would 
have  been  added.  And,  even  after  his  conversion,  he  may  become 
indifferent  and  fall  into  a  temporary  apostasy,  so  that  his  own 
prayer  fails  altogether;  yet  the  prayer  of  the  Holy  Spirit  in  him 
never  fails. 

Finally,  according  to  the  measure  of  his  spiritual  growth,  his 
progress  in  prayer  will  be  either  slow  or  rapid.     The  Holy  Spirit 


640  PRAYER 

prays  in  us  as  long  and  inasmuch  as  we  can  not  pray  for  ourselves; 
but  at  the  same  time  He  teaches  us  to  pray,  that  gradually  His 
prayer  may  become  superfluous.  This  includes  that  when  tempta- 
tions threaten  us  of  which  we  are  ignorant,  or  we  are  in  the  midst 
of  assaults  and  conflicts  which  we  fail  to  understand,  the  Holy  Spirit 
immediately  renews  His  prayer,  and  cries  unto  God  in  our  behalf. 

But  this  should  not  be  understood  astho  the  Holy  Spirit  teaches 
us  to  pray,  that  He  may  withdraw  Himself  altogether  from  our 
prayers.  On  the  contrary,  every  prayer  of  the  saint  must  be  in 
co7nmu7non  with  the  Holy  Spirit.  In  order  to  be  more  earnest  in 
prayer  we  must  sustain  a  more  intimate  communion.  The  more 
we  pray  alone  and  of  ourselves,  the  more  our  prayer  degenerates 

(into  a  sinful  prayer,  and  ceases  to  be  the  prayer  of  a  child  of  God. 
Wherefore  St.  Jude  admonishes  us  to  pray  in  the  Spirit. 

There  is  only  this  difference :  when  the  Holy  Spirit  prays  for 
us.  He  prays  independently  of  us,  altho  in  our  own  heart ;  but  when 
we  have  learned  to  pray,  altho  the  Holy  Spirit  continues  to  be  the 
real  Petitioner,  yet  He  prays  with  us  and  through  us,  and  cries  unto 
God  from  our  lips.  As  a  mother  first  ^ra.ys  for  her  child  without 
his  knowledge,  and  then  teaches  him  to  pray  that  by  and  by  she 
may  pray  with  him,  so  also  is  the  work  of  the  Holy  Spirit.  He  be- 
gins with  praying  for  us;  then  He  teaches  us  to  pray;  and  when  we 
have  made  some  progress  in  the  school  of  prayer,  then  He  begins 
to  pray  with  us  not  only  in  us,  but  through  us.  This  is  the  Spirit 
of  adoption,  by  whom  we  cry  "Abba,  Father";  but  in  such  a  way 
that  at  the  same  moment  He  testifies  with  our  spirits  that  we  are 
the  children  of  God. 

For  this  reason  the  Lord  said  to  the  woman  of  Samaria:  "The 
hour  Cometh  and  now  is  when  the  true  worshipers  shall  worship 
the  Father  in  Spirit  and  in  truth."  The  addition  "  in  truth  "had 
reference  to  the  symbolic  service  of  ceremonies  in  Israel.  The  land 
of  Canaan  was  the  type  of  heaven,  Jerusalem  of  the  inner  sanctuary, 
and  Zion  was  the  throne  of  God;  the  bloody  sacrifices  of  ram  and 
heifer  signified  the  remission  of  sin ;  the  altar  of  incense  was  sym- 
bol of  the  prayers  of  the  saints.  All  this  was  truly  typical,  but 
it  was  not  the  truth  itself.  Jerusalem  was  not  the  sanctuary  of 
the  Lord  Jehovah,  and  Zion  was  not  the  mercy-seat.  The  truth  of 
all  this  was  and  is  in  the  heaven  of  heavens,  and  thus  truth  and 
grace  came  by  Jesus  Christ,  even  as  its  symbol  and  shadow  had  come 


THE  PRAYER  OF  THE  REGENERATED  641 

by  the  law  of  Moses.  After  the  coming  of  Christ,  the  prayers  of 
the  saints  were  to  be  separated  from  Jerusalem ;  wherefore  Jesus 
said  to  the  woman :  "  Jerusalem  and  Gerizim  are  out  of  the  ques- 
tion;  they  belong  to  the  dispensation  of  shadows;  and  that  dispen- 
sation ceased  with  My  coming  into  the  world.  Henceforth  there 
will  be  no  more  worship  in  shadows;  but  a  worship  of  the  Father  in 
actuality  and  in  truth."  And  this  gives  us  the  true  interpretation  of 
the  addition  :  "  in  Spirit."  So  long  as  the  people  depended  upon  the 
service  of  shadows,  they  looked  upon  external  things  as  supports  of 
their  prayers.  But,  since  it  was  to  be  a  worship  in  truth,  it  needed 
the  inivard  support  which  the  Comforter,  the  Holy  Spirit,  offered 
them. 

The  saint  is  a  saint  because  he  received  the  Holy  Spirit,  who 
took  up  His  abode  with  him  and  inwardly  married  Himself  to  the 
soul.  Every  vital  utterance  proceeding  from  him,  apart  from  the 
Holy  Spirit  in  him,  is  foreign  to  his  sonship  and  is  sin.  Only  in  so 
far  as  he  is  moved  and  operated  upon  by  the  indwelling  Spirit  are 
his  thoughts,  words,  and  deeds  the  utterances  of  the  child  of  God  in 
him. 

And  if  this  is  true  of  the  whole  domain  of  his  life,  how  much 
more  of  his  life  of  prayer  1  After  his  conversion  he  often  prays 
of  himself  apart  from  the  Holy  Spirit;  but  that  is  the  prayer,  not  of 
God's  child,  but  of  the  old  sinner.  But  when  the  communion  of  the 
Holy  Spirit  is  active  in  his  heart,  and  works  in  him  both  the  impulse 
and  the  animation  of  his  prayer,  then  it  is  truly  the  prayer  of  the 
child  of  God,  because  wrought  in  him  by  the  Holy  Spirit. 

Wherefore  Zacharias  combines  the  Spirit  of  grace  and  of  suppli- 
cation. It  is  the  same  Spirit  who,  entering  our  hearts,  unlocks 
unto  us  the  grace  of  God,  enriches  us  with  that  grace,  teaches  us  to 
realize  that  grace,  and  at  the  same  time  causes  our  thirst  for  that 
grace  to  utter  itself  in  prayer.  Prayer  is  the  cry  for  grace,  and  can 
not  be  uttered  until  the  Holy  Spirit  presents  to  the  spiritual  eye 
the  riches  of  grace  which  are  in  Christ  Jesus.  And,  on  the  other 
hand,  the  Holy  Spirit  can  not  cause  these  riches  of  grace  to  scintil- 
late before  the  eye  of  the  soul  without  creating  in  us  thirst  and 
longing  desire  for  this  grace;  thus  compelling  us  to  pray. 

Or,  to  put  it  more  comprehensively,  the  prayer  of  the  saint  re- 
c^uires  three  things: 

First,  an  insight  into  the  riches  of  eternal  redemption. 

Second,  vivid  impressions  of  his  spiritual  deadness  and  distress. 
41 


642  PRAYER 

Lastly,  the  earnest  desire  for  lively  fellowship  with  the  unsearch- 
able treasures  of  divine  grace. 

And  how  can  the  holy  presence  of  the  Lord  Jehovah  be  revealed 
to  him  in  peace  but  by  the  Holy  Spirit  entering  into  his  heart? 
And  how  can  he  have  a  vivid  realization  of  his  spiritual  distress 
except  the  Holy  Spirit  reveal  it  to  him?  And  how  shall  he  be  so 
bold,  out  of  that  distress,  to  cry  unto  God  in  the  fellowship  of  love 
except  the  Holy  Spirit  create  boldness  and  confidence  in  his  soul? 


XLIII. 
Prayer  for  and  with  Each  Other. 

"  Confess  your  faults  one  to  another 
and  pray  one  for  another,  that  ye 
may  be  healed.  The  effectual, 
fervent  prayer  of  a  righteous  man 
availeth  much."— /ames  v.  16. 

Let  our  last  article  touch  once  more  the  key  of  love  wherein 
the  article  preceding  that  of  prayer  was  set.  To  speak  of  the 
Spirit's  work  in  our  prayers,  omitting  the  intercession  of  the  saints, 
betrays  a  lack  of  understanding  concerning  the  Spirit  of  all  grace. 

Prayer  for  others  is  quite  different  from  prayer  for  ourselves. 
The  latter  is  indeed  lawful ;  God  even  commands  us  "  in  every- 
thing by  prayer  and  supplication  with  thanksgiving  to  make  our 
requests  known  unto  God."  Yet  it  may  contain  refined  egoism  even 
tho  it  be  followed  by  thanksgiving;  hence  to  prayer  is  added  interces- 
sion, that  in  prayer  the  breath  of  love  may  quench  gently,  yet  effect- 
ually, remaining  egoism,  and  lead  us  to  the  still  holier  prayer  for 
the  heavenly  King  and  His  Kingdom. 

Christ  prays  for  us,  but  the  Bride  must  also  pray  for  her  heaven- 
ly Bridegroom.  David's  prayer  for  Solomon  points  beyond  Solo- 
mon to  the  Messiah :  "  Give  the  King  Thy  judgments,  O  God  "  (Psalm 
Ixxii.  i).  In  the  Twentieth  and  Sixty-first  Psalms  the  same  thought 
is  expressed.  However,  this  is  not  a  prayer  for  His  Person  (for  as 
such  He  is  glorified  already),  but  for  the  coming  of  His  Kingdom, 
for  the  extending  of  His  Name  to  the  ends  of  the  earth,  for  the 
gathering  in  of  the  souls  of  His  elect. 

In  the  Lord's  Prayer,  this  most  holy  petition  stands  even  in  the 
foreground;  for  when  we  pray,  "  Hallowed  be  Thy  name,  Thy  King- 
dom come.  Thy  will  be  done,"  we  are  inspired,  not  by  love  for  self 
or  for  others,  but  by  love  for  Him  who  is  in  heaven.  It  is  true,  we 
realize  that  the  fulfilling  of  that  prayer  is  most  desirable  for  others 
and  ourselves;   still  it  is  the  love  J  or  God  that  stands  here  in  the 


644  PRAYER 

foregound.  It  is  the  summary  of  prayer  eminently  fitting  the  sum- 
mary of  the  law  :  "  Thou  shalt  love  the  Lord  thy  God."  This  is  the 
first  and  great  commandme7it.  Then,  "  Thou  shalt  love  thy  neigh- 
bor as  thyself."  And  so  in  our  prayer:  first,  for  the  cause  of  God, 
this  is  the  first  and  %xq.2X  petition  ;  then,  prayer  for  the  neighbor  as 
for  ourselves.  Our  prayer  is  the  test  of  our  relation  to  the  first  and 
great  commandment. 

And  what  is  the  work  of  the  Holy  Spirit  in  the  prayer  of  inter- 
cession? 

It  is  necessary  here,  for  a  clear  understanding,  to  distinguish 
between  a  two/old  intercession  :  ( i )  there  is  a  prayer  for  the  things 
that  pertain  to  the  body  of  Christ;  and  (2)  another  for  the  things 
that  do  not  belong  to  that  body,  according  to  our  impression  and 
conception  of  the  matter. 

Prayer  for  kings,  and  for  all  that  are  in  authority,  does  not  con- 
cern the  things  that  pertain  to  the  body  of  Christ;  neither  does  the 
prayer  for  our  enemies,  nor  that  for  the  place  of  our  habitation,  for 
country,  army,  and  navy,  for  a  bountiful  harvest,  for  deliverance 
from  pestilence,  for  trade  and  commerce,  etc.  All  these  pertain  to 
the  natural  life,  and  to  persons,  whether  saints  or  sinners,  in  their 
relation  to  the  life  of  creation,  and  not  to  the  Kingdom  of  Grace. 
But  our  prayer  does  concern  the  body  of  Christ,  when  we  pray  for 
the  coming  of  the  Lord,  for  a  fresh  anointing  of  the  priests  of  God, 
for  their  being  clothed  upon  with  salvation,  for  success  in  the  work 
of  missions,  for  a  baptism  of  the  Holy  Spirit,  for  strength  in  con- 
flict, for  forgiveness  of  sin,  for  the  salvation  of  our  loved  ones,  for 
the  effectual  conversion  of  the  baptized  seed  of  the  Church.  The 
first  intercession  has  reference  to  the  realm  of  nature,  the  second 
to  the  Kingdom  of  Grace.  Hence  in  each  of  these  two  we  must 
look  for  the  bond  of  fellowship  from  which  springs  our  prayer  of 
intercession. 

For  every  prayer  of  intercession  presupposes  fellowship  with 
them  for  whom  we  pray;  a  fellowship  which  casts  us  into  the  same 
distress,  and  from  which  we  look  for  deliverance,  and  that  in  such 
a  way  that  the  sorrow  of  one  burdens  us,  and  the  joy  of  another 
causes  us  to  give  thanks.  Where  such  vital  fellowship  does  not 
exist,  nor  the  love  which  springs  from  it,  or  where  these  are  tem- 
porarily inactive,  there  may  be  a  formal  intercession  of  words,  but 
real  intercession  from  the  heart  there  can  not  be. 

"With  reference  to  the  intercession  in  the  realm  of  nature,  the 


PRAYER   FOR   AND    WITH    EACH    OTHER     645 

ground  of  this  fellowship  is  naturally  found  in  the  fact  that  we  are 
created  of  one  blood.  Humanity  is  one.  The  nations  form  an  or- 
ganic whole.  It  is  a  mighty  trunk  with  leafy  crown ;  the  nations 
and  peoples  are  the  branches  thereof,  successive  generations  the 
boughs,  and  each  of  us  is  a  fluttering  leaf.  Belonging  together, 
living  together  upon  the  same  root  of  our  human  nature,  it  is  one 
flesh  and  one  blood,  which  from  Adam  to  the  last-born  child  covers 
every  skeleton  and  runs  through  every  man's  veins.  Hence  the 
desire  for  universal  philanthropy ;  the  claim  that  nothing  be  alien 
to  us  that  is  human ;  the  necessity  of  loving  our  enemy  and  of 
praying  for  him,  for  he  also  is  of  our  flesh  and  of  our  bones. 

If  we  were  like  grains  in  a  heap  of  sand,  each  grain  might  pos- 
sibly send  forth  a  sigh ;  but  the  mutual  prayer  of  intercession  would 
be  out  of  the  question.  Being  leaves,  however,  of  the  same  tree  of 
life,  there  is,  apart  from  the  groaning  of  every  leaf,  also  a  prayer 
for  one  another,  a  mutual  prayer  of  the  entire  human  life ;  "  the 
whole  creation  groaneth." 

But  in  the  Kingdom  of  Grace  the  fellowship  of  love  is  much 
stronger,  firmer,  and  more  intimate.  There  is  here  also  an  organic 
whole,  even  the  body  of  Christ  under  Him  the  Head.  It  is  not  one 
converted  person  independent  of  another,  and  the  two  united  by  a 
mere  outward  tie  of  sympathy ;  nay,  but  a  multitude  of  branches 
all  springing  from  the  same  root  of  Jesse ;  growing  from  the  one 
vine  ;  all  organically  one ;  saved  and  redeemed  by  the  same  ransom 
of  His  blood ;  proceeding  from  the  one  act  of  election ;  born  again 
by  the  self-same  regeneration;  brought  nigh  by  the  same  faith; 
breaking  one  bread  and  drinking  from  one  cup. 

And  let  us  notice  it  well,  this  unity  is  doubly  strong;  for  it  is 
not  independent  of  the  fellowship  of  nature,  but  added  to  it.  They 
who  become  members  of  the  body  of  Christ  are  with  us  created  from 
the  one  blood  of  Adam,  and  with  us  they  are  redeemed  by  the  one 
blood  of  Christ.  Hence  there  is  here  double  root  of  fellowship. 
Flesh  of  our  flesh,  bones  of  our  bones.  Moreover,  born  from  one 
decree;  sealed  by  one  baptism;  joined  together  in  one  body;  in- 
cluded in  one  promise;  by  and  by  sharers  with  us  of  the  same 
inheritance. 

In  this  double  fellowship  of  life  is  rooted  the  /i^r  which  mutually 
unites  the  children  of  God,  especially  in  their  prayers  of  interces- 
sion, a  union  which  appears  sometimes  in  their  mutual  prayer. 
Vital  fellowship  does  not  spring  from  our  love  for  the  people  of 


646  PRAYER 

God,  but  that  love  springs  from  the  fellowship  of  the  life  of  grace, 
common  to  all  His  saints.  That  which  grows  not  from  one  root, 
and,  therefore,  shares  not  the  same  life,  can  not  attain  to  love  in 
higher  sense.  Prayer  for  one  another  is  born  of  the  love  to  one 
another;  and  the  love  which  unites  us  ascends  from  the  one  root  of 
life  upon  which  we  all  are  grafted  through  grace,  upon  which  by- 
virtue  of  our  creation  from  Adam  we  all  were  set.  And  thus  the 
work  of  the  Holy  Spirit  in  the  prayer  of  intercession  will  appear  in 
clearest  light. 

In  the  realm  of  nature,  our  vital  pcnver  is  from  the  Father,  our 
human  kinship  through  the  Son,  and  the  conception  of  that  kinship 
from  the  Holy  Ghost.  Hence  in  the  ordinary  manifestations  of  be- 
nevolence, such  as  helpfulness  in  distress,  friendliness  in  daily  life, 
and  the  desire  for  social  intercourse,  it  is  the  work  of  the  Holy 
Spirit  to  keep  alive  in  us  the  conception  of  our  human  kinship.  It 
is  true  that  sin  has  terribly  disturbed  this  conception.  Yet  the 
Holy  Spirit  has  not  forsaken  His  work ;  but,  when  a  man  seeing 
a  strange  child  drowning,  and,  without  considering  his  own  life, 
jumps  into  the  water  and  saves  him,  then  it  is  the  constraining 
power  of  the  Holy  Spirit  that  must  be  honored  in  this  heroic  act  of 
philanthropy. 

But  much  more  apparent  is  the  work  of  the  Holy  Spirit  in  the 
prayer  of  intercession  which  belongs  to  the  domain  of  grace.  For 
with  reference  to  the  fellowship  of  the  body  of  Christ,  it  is  again  the 
Father  from  whom  proceeds  our  redemption,  the  Son  in  whom  we  are 
united,  and  the  Holy  Spirit  who  imparts  to  us  the  conception  and  con- 
sciousness of  this  unity  and  holy  fellowship.  The  mere  fact  of  being 
chosen  by  the  Father  and  redeemed  by  the  Son  does  not  constrain 
us  to  love ;  it  is  the  act  of  the  Holy  Spirit,  who,  revealing  to  our 
conception  and  consciousness  this  wonderful  gift  of  grace,  opening 
our  eyes  for  the  beauty  of  being  joined  to  the  body  of  Christ,  kindles 
in  us  the  spark  of  the  love  for  Christ  and  for  His  people.  And  when 
this  double  work  of  the  Holy  Spirit  effectually  operates  in  us,  caus- 
ing our  hearts  to  be  drawn  to  all  that  belong  to  us  by  virtue  of  our 
human  kinship,  and  much  more  strongly  to  the  people  of  God  by 
virtue  of  our  kinship  in  the  Son,  then  there  awakes  in  us  the  love 
of  which  the  apostle  says  that  it  is  shed  abroad  in  our  hearts  by 
the  Holy  Ghost. 

And  yet  this  is  not  all  of  the  Holy  Spirit's  work.  Love  can  be 
tender  without  compelling  one  to  prayer.     This  is  evident  from  the 


PRAYER    FOR   AND    WITH    EACH    OTHER     647 

universal  love  of  benevolence.  A  man  may  rush  into  a  burning 
building  to  save  another  from  perishing  by  fire,  while  he  is  a  per- 
fect stranger  to  prayer  for  others.  And,  on  the  contrary,  there  are 
people  who  always  talk  of  praying  for  others,  who  constantly  en- 
large the  phylacteries  of  their  own  prayer  of  intercession,  who 
ever  say  to  others,  "  Pray  for  me,"  and  who  would  yet,  in  the  hour 
of  danger,  quietly  allow  us  to  drown  or  perish  in  the  flames;  who 
carefully  guard  their  pockets  lest  mercy  call  upon  them  to  assist 
us  with  their  money. 

From  which  it  is  evident  that  there  must  be  a  connecting  link 
between  loi'e  and  the  prayer  born  oj  iove.  As  soon  as  love  begins  to 
pray  it  is  joined  \.o  Jaith  ;  and  by  this  union  prayer  becomes  active. 
Love  alone  is  not  yet  prayer.  And  the  mere  prayer  of  intercession 
is  not  the  evidence  of  love.  Then  alone  is  there  real  intercession, 
when  love,  being  joined  to  faith,  constrains  us  to  carry  the  object 
of  love  before  the  throne  of  grace. 

Let  us,  therefore,  be  careful  in  our  prayers  of  intercession ;  es- 
pecially when  the  person  for  whom  we  pray  is  present.  For  then 
there  is  danger  lest  our  prayer  in  his  behalf  have  the  tendency  to 
show  him  how  much  we  think  of  him  and  love  him,  rather  than 
constrain  us  to  ask  something  for  him  of  God.  Methodism  *  has 
often  sinned  in  this  respect,  and  many  a  prayer  has  been  desecrated 
by  this  insincere  intercession. 

This  shows  clearly  what  is  the  additional  work  of  the  Holy  Spirit 
in  this  respect :  not  merely  that  He  quicken  in  us  general  faith,  nor 
that  He  fan  in  us  the  flames  of  brotherly  love ;  but  that  He  also  cause 
faith  to  join  love  in  holy  wedlock,  directing  them  thus  united  to  the 
brother  for  whom  we  are  to  pray.  This  is  the  object  of  St.  Paul, 
when  he  desires  that  there  shall  be  a  fellowship  of  saints,  not  only 
in  the  gift  of  God,  but  also  in  the  prayer  of  thanksgiving ;  not  only 
for  our  sakes,  but  "  That  the  abounding  grace  might  through  the 
thanksgiving  of  many  rebound  to  the  glory  of  God"  (i  Cor.  iv.  15). 

Just  as  in  a  drawing-room  whose  walls  are  lined  with  crystal 
mirrors  the  light  of  the  chandelier  is  reflected  not  only  by  every 
mirror,  but  also  from  mirror  to  mirror,  so  that  there  is  an  endless 
reflection  of  the  light,  so  also  is  it  with  reference  to  the  prayer  of 
intercession  and  thanksgiving  in  the  body  of  Christ.     In  this  cham- 

*See  section  5  in  the  Preface  for  the  author's  explanation  of  Method- 
ism. 


648  PRAYER 

ber  of  glory  Christ  is  the  Light  which  is  reflected  in  the  mirror  of 
the  soul.  But  it  is  not  sufficient  that  every  soul-mirror  receive  the 
light,  and  reflect  it  in  thanksgiving;  but  from  mirror  to  mirror  this 
glory  of  the  Son  must  be  reflected  here  or  there  until  there  is  an 
never-ending  scintillation  of  increasing  brightness,  and  everything  is 
baptized  in  the  overflowing  luster  in  which  the  Son  glorifies  Himself. 

And  this  leads  us  to  speak  of  mutual  prayer. 

Mutual  prayer  is  intercession  of  the  richest  sort ;  for  its  value  is 
enhanced  by  the  consciousness  of  its  being  mutual.  In  ordinary  in- 
tercession, one  prays  for  another  not  knowing  whether  the  other 
also  prays  for  him ;  but  in  the  mutual  prayer,  "  I "  is  turned  into 
"  we,"  as  in  the  Lord's  Prayer.  It  is  no  longer  one  wrestling  before 
the  throne  of  grace,  but  all  together,  thus  giving  expression  to  the 
unity  and  fellowship  of  the  body  of  Christ.  They  cry  from  one  dis- 
tress ;  they  bless  Him  for  the  same  grace ;  they  plead  the  same  prom- 
ise ;  they  look  forward  to  the  same  glory ;  they  come  to  the  same 
Father  in  the  name  of  the  one  Mediator,  leaning  upon  the  same  ato- 
ning blood.  Then  it  is  that  the  work  of  the  Holy  Spirit  attains  its 
highest  glory.  Then  He  joins  faith  and  love,  not  in  one  heart,  but  in 
many ;  then  He  opens  the  hearts  and  unites  the  souls  of  the  saints ; 
then  He  causes  them  to  meet  together  in  the  audience-chamber  of 
the  Lord  God,  one  people,  a  multitude  of  believers,  who  in  their 
spiritual  kinship  reflect  the  unity  of  the  body  of  Christ. 

Hence  there  is  nothing  so  difficult  as  mutual  prayer.  Prayer  in 
the  closet  is  easy ;  to  pray  for  others  is  not  hard ;  but  to  pray  with 
each  other  requires  such  exalted  spiritual  tone,  such  pure  love,  such 
clear  perception  of  the  unity  of  the  body,  as,  alas !  in  the  midst  of 
this  sinful  life  is  rarely  attained  by  large  bodies  of  believers.  And 
the  leader,  if  he  be  indeed  the  mouthpiece  of  the  people,  has  a 
very  difficult  task,  and  must  himself  be  in  a  thoroughly  spiritual 
frame  of  mind. 

Surely  if  the  Holy  Spirit  left  us  to  ourselves,  every  activity  of 
faith,  love,  and  prayer  would  soon  be  paralyzed.  But,  blessed  be 
God !  He  knows  our  infirmity,  and  with  divine  pity  He  looks  upon 
our  painful  helplessness.  He  is  and  remains  the  Comforter;  His 
work  is  never  ended.  When  we  slept,  having  no  oil  in  our  lamps, 
He  watched  over  our  souls.  When  our  love  failed.  He  loved  us  just 
the  same.  When  our  faith  became  dull  and  faint,  and  prayer  be- 
came dumb  upon  our  lips,  He  prayed  for  us  with  groanings  that 
can  not  be  uttered. 


PRAYER    FOR   AND    WITH    EACH    OTHER     649 

And  this  is  His  work  continually.  It  is  He  that  is  the  divine 
Bearer  of  every  higher  conception  and  holier  consciousness  in  the 
children  of  men ;  He,  the  Spirit  of  the  Father  and  of  the  Son,  that 
exhibits  all  the  riches  of  the  Mediator  to  the  Bride,  making  her 
eager  to  possess  them ;  He  that  quickens  the  treasures  of  the  Word 
by  the  spark  of  His  holy  fire,  bringing  them  to  the  consciousness  of 
the  inward  man. 

Blessed  is  the  man  to  whom  has  been  given  a  taste  of  the  work 
of  the  Holy  Spirit  in  his  own  experience.  Blessed  is  the  Church 
which  in  its  service  has  proved  the  inworking  of  the  Spirit  of 
grace  and  of  supplication.  Blessed  is  he  who,  constrained  to  love 
by  the  love  of  the  Holy  Spirit,  has  opened  his  heart  in  thanks, 
praise,  and  adoration,  not  only  to  the  Father  who  from  eternity  has 
chosen  and  called  him,  and  to  the  Son  who  has  bought  and  re- 
deemed him,  but  also  to  the  Third  Person  in  the  Holy  Trinity,  who 
has  kindled  in  him  the  light  and  keeps  it  burning  in  the  inward 
darkness ;  to  whom,  therefore,  with  the  Father  and  the  Son,  belongs 
forever  the  sacrifice  of  love  and  devotion  of  all  the  Church  of  God. 


SUBJECT  INDEX. 


Abraham,  father  of  the  faithful,  66 
Adam,  and  the  regenerate,  274 

development  of,  249 

federal  head,  240 

not  innocent,  but  holy,  247 
Adoration,  620 
Ambassador,  minister  of  the  Word, 

341 
Ambrose,  242 
Anatomy,  spiritual,  215 
Anointing,  official,  38,  39,  98,  119 

of  the  High  Priest,  524 

of  the  Mediator,  98 
Antinomianism,  478 
Apostles,  139 

ambassadors,  160 

and    prophets,     difference    be- 
tween, 156 

different  positions  among  the, 
172 

holy,  140 

unique  office  of  the,  156 
Apostolate,  144,  164,  165,  166 
Apostolic  ordinances,  147 

power,  154 

Scriptures,  148 

successors,  141 
Aristocracy,  spiritual,  33a 
Aristotle,  214 

Arminianism,  288,  341,  377,  439,  585 
Arminius,  289 
Ascension,  no,  120 
Athanasius,  confession  of,  art.  35th, 

36,  329 
Augustine,  242,  286.  287,  289 
Author  Primarius,  190 


Authority,  divine,  of  the  Scriptures, 
172 

B 

3,  preposition,  233 

3  =  as,  after,  according  to,  238 

Baptism,  holy,  66,  257,  288,  510 

of  Christ,  96,  98 

ritual  of,  66,  180,  300 

with  the  Holy  Ghost,  125 
Baptists,  334 
Basil,  242 
Bathkol,  395 

Beast,  the  image  of  the,  241 
Beets,  Dr.,  539-541 
Being  and  image,  241 

and  well-being  of  faith,  411 

of  God,  276,  277 
Bellarminus,  89,  227 
Bethlehem,  manger  of,  7 
Betterment  of  life,  431 
Beza,  102,  106 
Blumhardt,  159 

Body,  a  temple  of  the  Holy  Spirit, 
524 

of  Christ  prepared  by  the  Tri- 
une God,  79,  80 

of  Christ,  the  Church,  142,  203 

sanctification  of  the,  494 
Bohl,  Dr.,   218,   232,   234,   236,   237, 

259,  261,  266,  312 
Bonum  naturale,  89 
Brain,  the  work  of  the,  625 
Breath  of  His  mouth,  29 
Brethren,  controversy  among,  576 
Bring,   to,    forth   the  work  of    the 

Father,  27 
Brooding  of  the  Holy  Spirit,  30 
Brotherly  love,  572 


652 


SUBJECT    INDEX 


Call,  in  limited  and  wider  sense,  340 

inward,  318,  343,  345 

ordinary  and  extraordinary,  183 

outward,  318,  343 
Calvin,  102,  106,  242,  289,  324,  408 
Canonicity,  171 

Canons,  Heads  III.,  IV.,  sect.  14th, 
321 

Heads  III.,  IV.,  sect,  nth,  12th, 
17th,  316,  317,  319 
Carentia  justitise  originalis,  89 
Catastrophe,  final,  9 
Catechism,       Heidelberg,      Lord's 
Day,  q.  216th,  482 

Heidelberg,  q.  6oth,  375,  453 

Heidelberg,  q.  65th,  315 

Heidelberg,  q.  114th,  115th,  452 
Catechismus  Romanus,  q.  iSth,  227 
Ceremonies,  abolished,  53 

service  of,  53 
Certainty  rests  on  faith,  388 
Change,  inward,  484 
Chantepie  de  la  Saussaye,  xvii.,  320 
Charisma  of  discerning  spirits,  18S 

of  faith,  188 

of  interpretation,  134 

of  knowledge,  188 

of  love,  188 

of  tongues,  133 
Charismata,  i8o 

extraordinary,  188 

extraordinary  spiritual,  188 

now  active,  189 

official,  187 

ordinar}',  187 

prophetic,  159 
Childhood  of  Jesus,  95 
Children  in  the  faith,  470 

work  of  the  Holy  Spirit  in  little, 
290 
Chosen  to  be  justified,  376 
Christ,  420 

assuming  the  human  nature,  91 

our  holiness,  454 

our  justification,  452 

our  sanctification,  452 


Christ,  perfect  man,  244 

the  Apostle,  144 

the  gift  of  God,  560 

the  Godhead  of,  228 

the  second  Adam,  240 

the  source  of  sanctification,  460, 
461 

the  treasvire  of  His  people,  561 
Chrysostom,  242 
Church,  23 

anointing  of  the,  185 

catholicity  of  the,  186 

conflict  of  the,  184 

hidden  in  Israel,  179 

invisible,  196,  197 

Kingship  of  Jesus  over  the,  198 

militant  and  suffering,  576 

of  Jerusalem,  destitution  of  the, 
555 

one  body,  121 

order,  197 

the   pillar  and  ground  of   the 
truth,  76 

unity  of  the  visible  and  invisi- 
ble, 196 

visible,  196,  197 
Clericalism,  156 

of  ministers,  191 
Comfort,  534 
Comforter,  494,  533,  534,  562 

abiding  forever,  536 
Communication,    extraordinary,    of 
the  Holy  Spirit,  126 

ordinary,  of  the  Holy  Spirit,  126 
Communion,  natural  and  spiritual, 
645 

of  goods  idealistic  and  prophet- 
ic, 556 

of  saints,  185,  548 

of  saints  in  heaven,  551 

of  saints  in  small  circle,  550 

of  saints  in  the  invisible,  552 

of  the  saints,  faith  in  the,  549 

the  nature  of  the,  of  saints,  551 

with  Christ,  its  nature,  337,  338 

with  God,  50 

with  the  Holy  Spirit  in  Adam, 
273 


SUBJECT    INDEX 


653 


Comrie  and  Brakel,  390 

on  the  Heidelberg  Catechism, 

393 
Conception,  82,  83 
Condescension    of  God  to    human 

limitations,  72 
Conditional  immortality,  10 
Confession,  art.  nth,  .317 

art.  14th,  223 

art.  15th,  90,  257 

art.  17th,  319 

art  19th,  329 

art.  22d,  317,  453 

art.  24th,  293,  315 

fruit  of  a  pure,  434 

of  guilt,  621 

Reformed,  372 
Confidence,  391 
Conflict  of  love,  565 
Consciousness,  61,  626 

change  of,  403 

not  dependent  upon  the  body, 
626 

rational,  26 

sanctification  of  the,  491 
Consolation,  534 
Contact  with  Jesus,  605 
Continuity  of  life,  24 
Controversy  with  God,  582 
Conversion,  296 

duty  of,  350 

in  fourfold  sense,  351 

saving,  350 

the  work  of  the  Holy  Spirit, 
347.  348 
Conviction,  296 

of  sin,  296 

of  the  Holy  Spirit,  178,  193,  194 

of  the  sinner,  531 
Cooperation  in  the  second  grace, 

340 
Corps,  280 
Corruption,  225 
Counsel  of  God,  14,  204,  205 
Counted,  362 

of  God,  363 
Covenant,  New,  49 

of  works,  35,  49,  440 


Covenant,  Old,  49 

relation,  337 
Creationism,  86 
Criticism,  64 
Cursing,  633 

D 

David,  286 
Dead  in  sin,  304 
Death  and  life,  303 

dying  to  sin  in,  450 

eternal,  104 

state  of,  outside  of  Christ,  458 
Decree,  bringing  forth,  15 
Default,  89 
Defection  of  the  best  most  serious 

225 
Desire  in  Adam,  266 

in  Christ,  Dr.  Bohl's  view  of, 
266 
Dinant,  408 
Dispensation,  difference  in,  572 

of  the  Holy  Spirit,  113 
Disposition,  402,  415,  459 

holy  or  sinful,  457 
Dispositions,  imparting  of,  467 
Districts,  difference  in  the  charac- 
ter of  adjacent,  601 
Divine  nature  of  Christ,  105 
Divine-human,  327 
Doctrine,  432 

and  life,  434 
Drawing  of  God,  341 
Dying  to  sin,  450 

to  the  old  man,  481,  4S3 

B 

Economy,  divine,  45 
Egoism  in  prayer,  631 
Egypt,  significance  of,  590 
Election,  16 

and  foreordination,  285 
Enmity  against  Jesus,  614 
Epistles,  local  character  of,  169 

lost,  170 
Ethicals,  155,  288,  320,  327,  328,  331, 

363,  416,  418 
Eutychians,  330 


654 


SUBJECT   INDEX 


Eutychus,  329 
Evangelists,  172 
Exaltation  of  Christ,  107 
Exegetes,  contemporary,  408 


Faith,  6r,  67,  68,  538,  539,  540 

an  extraordinary  expedient,  415 
and  hope,  temporary  character 

of,  542 
assurance  of  the  consciousness, 

389 

being  and  well-being  of,  411 

being  of,  389 

compared  to  spectacles,  416 

daughter  of  the  Word,  395 

faculty,  296,  320,  394,  402,  404, 
420 

formal  act  of,  395 

Hebrew  equivalents  of,  391 

historical,  420 

historical  and  saving,  391 

imparting  of,  378 

in  a  person,  398 

in  a  testimony,  398 

in  Christ,  392 

in  general,  378 

in  God,  392 

in  one,  holy.  Catholic,  Christian 
Church,  577 

in  the  genuineness  of  the  Scrip- 
ture, 177 

in  the  heathens,  417 

in  the  sense  of  being  persuaded, 

393 

in  the  sense  of  certain  knowl- 
edge, 423 

knowledge  of,  423 

life  of,  in  the  Old  Testament, 

55 
manifestation  of,  406 
not  a  lower  kind  of  knowledge, 

387 
not  a  new  organ  of  sense,  415 
not  the  breath  of  the  soul,  416 
object  of,  397 
power  of,  420 
quickening  of,  59 


Faith,  saving,  only  in  the  sinner, 
415 

seat  of,  391 

the  exercise  of,  59,  102,  400, 405, 
420 

the  gift  of  God,  407 

true,  393 

turned  into  sight,  542 

without  the  Scripture,  417 

works  of,  499 
Fall,  235 

and  rising  again,  252 
Fanatical  view  of  Scripture,  58 
Fatalism,  204 
Father,  the  fountain  of  all  things, 

19 
Fathers,  confession  of  the,  549 

Flesh,  255 

and  spirit,  227 
Foreknowledge  of  God,  209 
Forms  of  prayer,  623 


Gabriel,  80 
Generation,  eternal,  16 
Geniality,  41 
Gethsemane,  107 
Gift,  charisma,  doron,  180 

heavenly,  289 

of  glottai,  133 
Gifts  and  talents  of  the  Holy  Spirit. 

563 

losable,  of  the  Holy  Spirit,  lao 

of  the  Spirit,  181 

official,  ordinary  and  extraordi- 
nary, 187 
Glorification  of  God,  9 
Glory  of  God  end  of  sanctification, 
502,  503 

of  God  end  of  all  things,  12,  22 
Glotta,  133 
Gnosticism,  253 
God  all  in  all.  545 
God,  sovereign,  207 

the  fountain  of  all  love,  513 

the  holy,  449 
God's  being,  indwelling  works  of, 

15 


SUBJECT   INDEX 


655 


Golden  bridle,  89 

Golgotha,    107 

Gomarus,  102,  106,  289 

Good  conform   to  the  divine  law, 

497 
Good  works,  432,  457 

works  in  relation  to  sanctifica- 
tion,  496 

works  prepared  of  God,  501 
Goodness  absolute,  498 

of  God,  276 
Gospel  a  savor  of  life  or  of  death, 

216 
Grace,  active  or  saving,  290 

assisting,  289 

chain  of  the  works  of,  297 

covenant  of,  49 

first  and  second,  294 

ordinary,  634 

particular,  635 

preparatory,  283 

the  kingdom  of,  46,  48 

the  work  of,  208 

the  work  of,  a  unit,  208 

the  work  of,  eternal,  210,  284, 
285 

word  of,  65 
Grafting,  311,  312 
Gratia  praeveniens,  praeparans,  and 

operans,  291 
Greek,  knowledge  of,  409 
Groninger  School,  xvii.,  167 
Guido  de  Bres,  57 
Guilt,  inherited,  86,  87 

inherited,     not      imputed      to 
Christ,  87 
Gunning,  Dr.  J.  H.,  328,  331 

H 

Hagar,  534 

Hair-splitting,  18 

Handicraft,  38 

Hands,  laying  on  of,  of  the  apostles, 

125 
Heart,  new,  492 

outpouring  of  the,  527 
the  Holy  Spirit's  entrance  into 
the,  530 


Heart,  work  of  the,  in  prayer,  625 

Heathendom,  253 

Hernhutters,  329 

Ho\i-ffiai^ifi£-    and    righteous  - /«a- 

^i"^',  440-442 
Holiness  a  disposition,  448 

and  righteousness,  440-442 

imputed,  454 

Levitical  and  official,  448 

of  God,  440 

original  and  derived,  454 

perfect,  247 
Holiness  and  hoU-maJtt'n^^,  453 
Holy,  486 

the  regenerate,  639 
Holy  Spirit,  influence  of  the,  loi 

inworking  of  the,  loi 

outpouring  of  the,  112 

power  to  perfect  of  the,  19 

president  of   ecclesiastical  as- 
semblies, 199 
Holy  Spirit's  work   distin^ished, 

18 
Hope,  140,  141,  538,  539 
Host  of  heaven  and  earth,  27 
Huguenots,  290 


Idealist,  381 
Illiricus  Flacius,  275 
Illumination  of  believers,  152 

ordinary,  344 
Image  and  likeness  synonyms,  221 

bearer  of  the  divine,  240 

distorted  by  sin,  264 

in  limited  sense,  237 

of   Christ,  conforming  to  the, 
243 

of  God  abiding  forever,  263 

of  God,  dominion  of  the,  228 

of  God  ground  of  prayer,  628 

of  God  in  man,  223 

of  God,  loss  of  the,  223 

of  the  Triune  God,  221 
Image-worship,  241 
Incarnation,  Dr.   Bohl's  theory  of 

the,  218 
Inclusi,  575 


656 


SUBJECT   INDEX 


Indwelling,  32 

everlasting,  547 

of  the  Holy  Spirit,  23,  iii,  522, 

546 
work  of  man,  13 

Infection,  256 

Inspiration,  152 

not  telephonic,  175 

the  ethical  theory  of,  153 

the  mechanical  theory  of,  149 

the  natural  theory  of,  150 

the  Reformed  theory  of ,  152,  153 

Installation  of  Christ  to  office,  98 

Instinct,  509 
animal,  33 

Intercession,  643 

of  the  Holy  Spirit  complement- 
ary, 638 
the  work  of  the  Holy  Spirit,  648 

Interpretation  of  the  Holy  Spirit, 

193 
official,  194 
Irvingites,  160 
Israel,  63,  67,  123 

J 

Jabin,  592 

Jesus  and  St.  Paul,  167,  i68 

counted  sin,  365 

the  willingness  of,  426 
Jews  and  Gentiles,  126 
Joel,  the  prophecy  of,  129 
Junius,  79,  242 
Juridical,  357 

K 

?,  preposition,  232 
Knowledge,  assent  and  confidence, 
400 
based  on  faith,  386 
Kohlbrugge,  xviii 
Kiihnert,  412 

L 

Law,  fulfilment  of  the,  437 

of  God,  454 

of  the  Lord,  271 
Laws  in  the  kingdom  of  grace,  118 
Lead,  to,  to  destiny,  20 


Letter,  knowledge,  423 

Life,  278,  291 

implanting  of,  305 

of  Jesus,  93 

translated  into,  305 

twofold,  497 

word  of,  67 
Life-principle,  26 

implanting  of  the  new,  890 

in  every  creature,  25,  26 

preservation  of  the  new,  295 
Logos,  136 
Love,  206 

a  new,  570 

and  hatred,  567 

and  selfishness,  543 

and  truth,  577 

communion  of,  with  Christ,  536 

conflict  of,  544 

first  pure,  579 

from  principle,  614 

God  thirsting  after,  205 

God's  Being,  513 

God's  claim,  270 

human,  511 

in  the  animal  world,  509 

instinctive  and  moral,  509 

kinds  of,  517 

manifested  in  the  redemptive 
work,  518 

mingling  of  human  and  divine, 
516 

natural,  509 

not  merely  victory  over  selfish- 
ness, 543 

of  God,  204 

of  Jesus,  566 

of  the  Holy  Spirit  is  greatest, 
532,  533 

original  and  derived,  517 

personal,   of  the    Holy  Spirit, 

530 
sense  of,  518 
shedding  abroad  of,  527 
suffering  of,  565 

the  tiew  commandment,  517- S^P 
the  work  of  the   Holy  Spirit 

532. 


SUBJECT    INDEX 


657 


Love,  threefold  form  of,  513 

twofold  working,  581 

victory  of,  547 
Love's  quickening  a  work  of   the 

Holy  Spirit,  517 
Love-life  of  the  Trinity,  513 
Luther,  4 
Lutherans,  330 

M 

Maccovius,  263,  294 
Mammon,  557 
Man,  222 

exaltation  of  man,  222 

old  and  new,  478 

rising  of  the  new,  478 

significance  of,  465 

sinless,  destined  for  Christ,  243 
Manes,  254 

Manichseism,  253,  254,  364 
Maranatha,  558 
Marriage,  600 

spiritual,  631 
Martyrs,  569 
Materialism,  255 
Matter,  255 
Matthias,  162 
Mediator  supported  by  the    Holy 

Spirit,  no 
Medical  treatment,  356 
Meditation  theology,  xv.,  230,  410 
Mennonites,  83 
Mercy  to  the  poor,  557 
Metaphor,  322 

Methodism,  46,  143,  288,  300,  471 
Minister  of  the  Word,  341 

of  the  Word  a  guide,  379 
Miracle  of  tongues,  133 

of    tongues    in    the    apostolic 
churches,  134 
Miracles,  68,  69 

faith  to  work,  421 
Modern  theory  of  "new  command- 
ment," 570 
Monothelites,  320 
Moral  nature  of  man,  204 
Morale  of  the  rabbis   in   Old  and 
New  Testaments,  571 


Moravians,  329 
Moses,  77 
Motherhood,  509 

Mothers,  weak  and  wise,  165,  166 
Motive  principal  part  in  morals,  502 
Mysteries,  revelation  of  the,  com- 
pleted, 166 
Mystic  union,  124,  322,  458 

union,  five  stages  of  the,  335 
Mysticism,  false,  486 

pantheistic,  465 
Mystics,  330 

N 

Nabi,"7o 

Natural  gifts,  39 

Nature,   being  and    well-being  of 
human,  264 
change  of  human,  312 
corruption  of  human,  265 
fallen,  84 

human,  imperishable,  265 
partaker  of  the  divine,  333 
working  of  sin  in  the  human, 
265 

Neo-Platonism,  254 

New  commandment,  570-574 

Noah  and  his  eight,  67 

Nothing,  man  is,  465 

O 

Obedience  to  the  Word,  588 
Office,  39,  182 

of  believers,  183 
Old  Testament,  50 
Omnipotence  of  God,  spiritual,  203 
Omnipresence  of  the  Holy  Spiril; 

119 
Omnipresent  working  of  God,  581 
Oosterzee,  Dr.  Van,  541,  542 
Organic  union  of  the  race,  34 
Origin  of  things,  20 
Original  rectitude,  49 
Outpouring,  528 


Pantheism,  328 
Paradise-promise,  63 


658 


SUBJECT   INDEX 


Passion,  sinless,  236 
Passions  controlled,  493 
Passivity,    normal  and    abnormal, 

339 
Paul,  Saint,  145 
Paul's  apostleship,  162 
Pelagians,  465 
Pelagius,  289 
Pentecost,  112 
miracle,  112 
signs  not  symbolic,  129 
signs  real,  128 
Perfectionism,  468 
Person  sanctified,  the,  490 
Personal  petitions,  629 

talent,  38 
Personality,  37 
Pharaoh  and  Moses,  590 
and  the  Messiah,  591 
hardening  of,  591 
significance  of,  590 
Pietism  and  Pietists,  474 
Practise,      evil,     of     Christians, 

599 
Praise,  hymn  of,  621 
Prayer,  618 

bodily  exercise  in,  623 

forms  of,  623 

high-priestly,  143 

kinds  of,  619 

not  an  acquisition  of  later  years, 

629 
of  the  unconverted  629 
talking  with  God,  620 
the  drawing  of  the  impressed 

image,  630 
the  fruit  of  love,  631 
the  Lord's,  632 
the  nature  of,  632 
Preaching,  473,  486,  564,  606 
dry  and  monotonous,  213 
vagueness  in,  379 
Preexistence,  76 
Pride,  spiritual,  610 
Prophecy,  work  of,  55 
Prophets,  73 
Punishment,  272 
Pura  naturalia,  228 


Recreation,  43,  44 

history  of  the  work  of,  51 

not  reformation,  48 
Reformation,  373 
Remains,  a  few,  223 
Resurrection,  92 
Revelation,  65,  76 

people  of  the,  54 
Right,  355 

divine,  271 

sense  of,  357 
Righteous-;«a>&/«^,  453 
Righteousness    and   holiness,   440, 
444 

indicates  relation,  444 

loss  of  original,  88 

of  faith,  273 

original  and    derived,   89,   222, 
229,  246,  273,  274,  445 

vindicated,  49 
Rock  of  offense,  615 
Rome,  227,  266 

S 

Sabbath,  49 
Sabbathists,  53 
Sabellian  error,  44 
Sacraments,  318 
Sacrifice,  voluntary,  105 
Salvation  Army,  129 

words  and  facts  of,  65 
Sanctification  8,  21T,  431,  449,  455 

a  commandment,  486 

a  dogma,  431 

a  duty,  435 

a  gracious  gift,  458,  459 

a  mystery,  435 

a  work  of  God,  486 

an  extraordinary  work  of   the 
Holy  Spirit,  508 

an  ingrafting  of  the  law,  499 

and  justification,  440 

caricature  of,  475 

degrees  of,  470 

gradual,  461 

gfuaranty  of,  461 

in  Arminian  sense,  451 


SUBJECT   INDEX 


659 


Sanctification,  no,  for  sinless  Adam, 
248 

objection  to,  475 

of  the  body,  495 

of  the  heart,  437 

perfect,  469 

sinners   the    only  subjects  of, 
461 

the  divine  demand  of,  438 

the  necessity  of,  435 

when  complete,  437 
Satan,  Manes's  theory  of,  255 
Satan's  sufferings,  10 
Schleiermacher,  320 
Scotland,  601 
Scripture,  authority  of,  78 

emasculating  the  Sacred,  604 

excellency  of  Sacred,  56 

infallibility  of  Sacred,  153 

instrumental  use  of  the,  59 

necessity  of,  169 

not  a  collection  of  certified  doc- 
uments, 174 

Sacred,  418 

Sacred,  a  mystery,  5 

Sacred,  a  testimony,  398 

Sacred,  God's  image,  58 

Sacred,  in  human  tongue,  62 

the  record  of    the  redemptive 
work,  62 
Secularizing  of  Christ,  93 
Seed,  incorruptible,  292 
Self-denial,  502 

before  God,  504 
Self-rejection,  399 
Self-restraint,  189 
Semi-Pelagian,  288,  393 
Shadows,  service  of,  53 

significance  of  the  service  of, 
53 
Simplicity  of  God,  276 
Sin,  24,  88,  216,  271 

against  the  Holy  Spirit,  608 

against  the  Holy  Spirit,  fear  of, 
610 

and  guilt,  268 

corruption  of,  261 

corruption  of  absolute,  448 


Sin, corruption  of,  in  human  nature, 
263 

essential,  304,  477 

essentially  privative  with  posi- 
tive effects,  262 

immaterial,  252 

is  unrighteousness,  258 

origin  of,  254 
Sinlessness  of  Jesus,  84 
Sitting  at  the  right  hand  of  God, 

no 
Socinus,  227,  228 
Sodom,  602 
Son,  builder,  21 

person  of  the,  97 
Soul  can  not  be  dissolved,  281 

humbling  of  the,  568 

image,  220 

immortal,  279,  281 

life  and  death  of  the,  279 

life-principle  of  the,  279 

the     seat     of     consciousness, 
627 
Sovereignty  of  divine  love,  519 

of  God,  41,  355,  366,  434 

of  the  Holy  Spirit,  8 
Spain,  601 
Speaking,  71 

of  God,  71 

to  the  people,  37 
Spirit  and  being,  29 

human,  118 

of  slumber,  582 
Stages,  three,  of  the  Holy  Spirit's 

work,  24 
Standpoint,  wrong,  8 
State,  249,  361 

of  rectitude,  247 

original,  231,  247 
Status  and  condition,  250 

determining     of     one's,     362 
363 
Stock  or  block,  205 
Stone  of  stumbling,  615 
Strigel,  Victorinus,  275 
Symbolism,  275 
Symbols,  128 
Synod  of  Jerusalem,  170 


b6o 


SUBJECT    INDEX 


Tables  of  the  law,  492 

Talents,  181 

Tertullian,  242 

Testament,  New,  50 

Testimonium  Spiritus  Sancti,  419 

Thanksgiving,  620 

Theology,  new,  29 

Thesis,    antithesis,  and  synthesis, 

327 
Thomas  Aquinas,  89 
Time-faith,  421 
Traducianism,  86 
Trichotomy,  491 
Trinity,  211,  444,  513 

in  the  Old  Testament,  28 
no  modality,  15 
Triumph  of  Christ,  9 
Twelve,  15S 

U 
Unitarians,  16 

Unity  of  believers,    526,    553,    563, 
646 
of  Old  and   New  Testaments, 
572 
Ursinus,  229 
Utrecht  novelties,  410 


Veni,  Creator  Spiritus,  43,  211 
Vocation,  41 


W 

Will,  403 

change  of,  493 
yielding  of  the,  348,  529 
Wisdom,  worldly,  253 
Witzius,  395 
Work  of  the  Father,  517 

of  the    Holy  Spirit,    8,    9,    95, 
211 

in  Christ,  102,  107 

in  comforting,  532 

in  creation,  22 

in  prayer,  618,  636 

in  the  miracle  of  tongues, 

133 
not  vicarious,  499 
Working  of  the   Holy  Spirit,  indi« 

vidual,  52 
invisible,  25 
inward,  119,  120 
organic,  52 
outward,  119,  120 


TEXTUAL  INDEX. 


21 

238 

232 

273 

36 

589 
589 
591 
590 
591 


38 
238 


PAGE 

Gen.  1:2 18,  27,  30 

:3 28 

:  26 218,  234,  240,   244 

:  27 219,  240 

11:3 

v:  I 

v:3 

vi :  3  

XV  :  6 

Exod.  iv :  21 . . . 

vii:3-5 

vii :  13,  22  ;   ix  :  35 

ix:  16 

xiv  :  4  ;  xiv  :  8  ;  xiv :  17  . 

xviii :  4 239 

xxiii:3,  4 511 

xxxi :  2,  3,  6 

Lev.  xvii :  1 1 

Num.  xi :  29  114 

Deut.  ii  :3o 592 

Joshua  xi :  20 592 

Judges  iii :  10 38 

2  Sam.  xxi V  :  i 592 

I  Chron.  xxi :  i 592 

Job  XX  :  21 580 

xxvi  -.13 22,  27,  30 

xxxiii :  4 27,  30,  32,  81 

Psalm  xix :  2,  3 70 

xix:8 349 

xxvii :  8 629 

xxxiii :  6 8,  13,  27,  28,  30 

XXXV  :  2 ....  238 

xl :  6,  7 79 

1: 15 623 

li 622 

li:  13 115 

Ixxxiv :  7 480 


PAGE 

Psalm  xc 620 

xcv:  8 594 

cii:  17 424 

civ:30 27,33,  115 

ex  :  3 427 

cxxxiii 524 

cxxxiii ;  2 522,    524 

cxxxix 590 

Prov.  1 :  23 43-,  203 

iii :  26 239 

XX  :  12 304 

XXV  :  21 571 

Song  of  Songs  iii :  10 427 

viii :  6,  7 427 

Isa.  vi :  9,  10 592 

xxxii:  14-17 113 

xl:  13 27 

xli :  23  ;  xlii :  9 ;  xliii :  19.  . .     55 

xliii:  II  115 

xlviii:  10 239 

lv:7 351 

Ivii:  15 448 

Ixi:  1 98 

Ixiii :  II 48 

lxiii:i2 121 

Ixiii :  17 592,  594 

Jer.  iii :  22 349 

XX :  7 65 

XX :  9 70,  72 

xxxi :  18 349 

Ezek.  xi:  5 115 

xi :  19 114 

xviii :  30 351 

xxxvi:25 114,492 

Joel  ii:  30,  31 114 

Jonah  ii :  10 70 

Micah  iii :  8 115 


662 


TEXTUAL   INDEX 


PAGE 

Zeph.  ii :  a 15 

Haggai  ii:4,  5 113,  115 

Zech.  xii:  10 114,  618 

Matt.  i:i8 82 

i:  20 80 

iv:i 97 

v:8 415 

v;i6 457 

V :  \i-20ff. 570 

v:  23 180 

v:  44-46 571 

xii :  28 100 

xii :  30-32 608 

xii:  31 608 

xiii :  14 592 

xiii :  20,  2 1 421 

xvi:  17 125 

xvi:  19 155 

xvi :  24 502 

xix:  12 188 

xxiii :  37 502 

xxvii :  37 527 

Mark  iii :  5 580 

iii :  28,  29 608 

iv:  12,  14 592 

vi :  14 100 

vi:52 .  593 

viii :  12 100 

xvi:  18 133 

Luke  i:  15 116 

i:35 80,  82 

1:75 486 

ii:52 95 

iii:  23 87 

iii:  36 392 

iv :  4 99 

viii :  10 592 

viii:  25 392 

xxiv :  49 114 

John  i :  14 88 

1:32 99 

ii:22 415 

iii :  6 293 

iii:34 95 

iii:  36 10,  384 

vi:44 299 

vii:39 112,  113 


PAGE 

John  xii :  40 589,  603 

xiii:  19 55 

xiii:  34 57°.  57i 

xiv  :  I 392 

xiv:i6,  17 114 

xiv:  26 154 

xiv:  29 55 

XV :  3 323 

XV :  13 565 

xv:  26 114 

xvi:  7,  8 115 

xvi :  13 152,  190 

xvi :  12-14 167 

xvii 621 

xvii :  23 327 

xx:22 29,  116,  125 

xx:  23 155 

xx:3i 164 

Acts  i :  5 124,  125 

1:4.  5.  8 115 

i:  25 161 

ii:  1 125 

ii:  19 128 

ii:38 181 

viii 125 

viii:  37 391 

x:8  592 

x:44,  45 125 

x:  45 123,  iSi 

xi:  18 349 

xiii :  I,  2 160 

xiv :  14 160 

xvi :  3 1 392 

xvii :  28 222 

xix:  6 125 

xix:  9 593 

xxvi :  27 420 

xxviii:26 592 

Rom.  i :  4 107,   108 

i:5 161 

i:24,  25 582 

ii:4 349 

iii:  24 354.  372 

iv:25 354 

v:l 354 

v:^ 208,  508 

v:i2 268 


TEXTUAL   INDEX  663 

PAGE  PAGE 

Rom.  V :  15,  17 180      i  Cor.  xiii 533,  539 

vi:5 322,  323    --  xiii:  2 421 

vi :  12 494  xiii :  10,  12 415 

vi :  19 440,  487  xiii :  1 1 470 

vi :  22 460  xiii :  13 538,  613 

vii:23 258,638  xiv:i2 185 

viii:ii 108  xiv:i3 134 

viii:i3 263  xiv:i4 135 

viii :  14 402  xiv  :  27,  28 133 

viii:i5 619  xv:28 543,  545 

viii :  24 538  XV  :  49 242,  243 

viii :  26,  27 618,  636,  637  XV  :  44 243 

viii :  28 345  xvi :  i 147 

viii:  29 241,243,456  xviii:8-ii 187 

viii :  30 338       2  Cor.  iii :  6 57 

ix:ii 343.  59°  iii :  14 593 

ix :  17 592  iii :  18 243 

ix :  18 584  iv :  13 243,  378 

x:io 391.397  iv:i5  647 

x:i7 315  v:7 4^5 

xi:7 593,  598  v:  17  235,  310 

xi:8 582  vi:6 532 

xi:  17-25 323  vii:i 435,464,487 

xi:25 593  ix:i5 180 

xi:29 345  x:  15 469 

xi:36 20       Gal.  ii:8 161 

xii:i 494  iv:6 28 

xii :  6-8 187       Ephes.  1:4 486 

XV :  4 60  i:20 109 

xvi:25    167  ii:i 278 

I  Cor.  i:30 354,  431,  452  ii :  8 378,  407,  413 

ii:i2,  13 619  ii:i8 619 

ii:i4,  15 491  ii:io 288,496 

iii:  II 427,470  ii:22 no 

iv:9 160  iv:4  548 

v:3 147  iv:7  180 

vii:25 147  iv:i2 121,469 

viii:  6 19  iv:i4 47° 

ix:i 158  iv:i6 575 

ix:2  161  iv:24 227,234,247 

xi 244  vi:i8 618 

xi:7 244      Phil,  i:  29 409 

xii:  3 196,378  iii: 9 3^7 

xii :  4,  5,  6 563  iii :  14 345 

xii:  7 185  iii:  15 390 

xii:  10 133  iii:  12-15 47^ 

xii :  31 184      Col.  i :  10 470 


664  TEXTUAL   INDEX 

PAGE  PAGE 

Col.  i :  17 20      Heb.  xi :  39 52 

i:26 167                xii:io 474 

i :  27 333      James  ii :  19 420 

ii :  II 490,  494                   V :  16  . , .    643 

iii :  9 234       I  Peter  i :  15 486 

iThess.  ii:i3 154                   1:23 315 

iii:  13 487                    ii:6 407 

iv:8 3                    ii:24 480 

v:23 468,485                     iii:  18 108 

2  Thess.  i :  3, 470      2  Peter  1:4 333 

ii :  8 28                     iii:  II  486 

1  Tim.  i :  5 560       i  John  i :  1-4 140 

iii:  16 no                   i:3 28,  139 

iv:i5 470                   i:4 i74 

2  Tim.  i :  9 345                   i :  7 554 

ii :  25 349                    ii :  X 637 

iii:  16,  17 56                    ii:  12-14 47° 

Heb.  i:  3 20,  21                    ii :  20 185,  421 

ii:i4,i7,  18 84                   ii:27 185 

ii:i3 87                   iii: 4 252 

iii:  1 160,345                    iii:  II 486 

iii :  13 593                    iii :  14 283 

v:i3,  14 470                   iv:8 513 

vi 213,289                   iv:i6 517 

vi:4-8 289,421,609                   v:6 179 

vi:6 349                   v:i6-x8 608 

vii:26 84      2  John  5 572 

ix:i4 93,  102       Rev.  ii:5 349,  352 

x:5 79,80                iii:  1 74 

x:7 81                 xxi:l4, 144 

1:26-31 609                xxii:ii 444 

zi:6 420                xzii:i8 169 


